HPV vaccine targets women age 24-45
7/7/2004 Toni Baker Medical College of Georgia A vaccine that appears to protect against four common strains of human papillomavirus virus – two that cause cervical cancer and two that cause genital warts – is under study at the Medical College of Georgia in women age 24-45. "We have studied this vaccine in younger women and in children, who will be the primary target for vaccination in the future. However, there are millions of older women who may also want to be vaccinated against HPV," said Dr. Daron G. Ferris, family medicine physician, director of the MCG Gynecologic Cancer Prevention Center and a principal investigator on the vaccine study. HPV, one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the country, is the biggest risk factor for cervical cancer and a cause of penile cancer and genital warts. MCG has been involved in several national trials pursuing the efficacy of different HPV vaccines in different populations. The quadrivalent vaccine currently under study protects against types 6 and 11, the top two wart-causing strains, and types 16 and 18, the two most-common cancer-causing strains. Dr. Ferris and his colleagues are concluding studies of the vaccine in women age 16-23 and in boys and girls age 10-15. Many of the mothers with children in the previous study have expressed interest in participating in this latest study. "It's only natural now to look at the moms," Dr. Ferris said. "Although the greatest risk for HPV infection is in the 15- to 25-year-old age [...]