cervical cancer

HPV vaccines: Research on safety, racial disparities in vaccination rates and male participation

Source: journalistsresource.us1.list-manage.com Author: staff Since it became available in the United States in 2006, the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has been a source of debate, with proponents lauding it as a substantial gain in the fight against cancer, and opponents concerned with its implications for sexual activity among youth. With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent approval of Gardasil-9 — a vaccine that protects against nine of the most common strains of HPV that account for approximately 90 percent of cervical, vulvar, vaginal and anal cancers — there is both a renewed interest and concern that calls for a nuanced and comprehensive review of the science. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, with nearly all sexually active men and women believed to contract at least one form of it during their lifetime. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 79 million Americans have HPV, and about 14 million become newly infected annually. While most infections clear the body within two years, some can persist and result in genital warts, cervical cancer or other types of cancers in men and women. Of the many HPV strains that exist, HPV types 16 and 18 have been identified as high risk, accounting for about 70 percent of all cervical cancer, as well as a large proportion of other HPV-related cancers. While cervical cancer was previously a leading cause of death among women in the U.S., death rates declined substantially after [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2016-01-26T15:17:35-07:00January, 2016|Oral Cancer News|

Expanded age indication cleared for Gardasil 9 in males

Source: www.FormularyJournal.ModernMedicine.comAuthor: Erin Bastick FDA approved an expanded age indication for Human Papillomavirus 9-valent Vaccine, Recombinant (Gardasil 9, Merck) in males. Seven HPV types in Gardasil 9 (HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58) cause approximately 90% to 95% of HPV-related anal cancers, 90% of cervical cancers, and 80% of high-grade cervical lesions worldwide.These 7 types also cause the majority of HPV-related vulvar and vaginal cancers. Gardasil 9 includes the greatest number of HPV (Human Papillomavirus) types of any available HPV vaccine. Gardasil 9 was previously approved for use in girls and young women aged 9 to 26 years for the prevention of cervical, vulvar, vaginal, and anal cancers caused by HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58, precancerous or dysplastic lesions caused by HPV 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 22, 45, 52, and 58, and genital warts caused by HPV types 6 and 11. As for use in male patients, the vaccine was previously approved for use in boys aged 9 to 15 years for the prevention of anal cancer caused by HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58, precancerous or dysplastic lesions caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58. With the newest approval, Gardasil 9 is now also indicated for use in males aged 16 to 26 years for the prevention of these diseases. According to the CDC, HPV vaccination rates are unacceptably low compared to rates for other adolescent vaccines, and vaccination coverage in [...]

Charlotte Parker2015-12-30T18:31:17-07:00December, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

A cancer on the rise, and the vaccine too late for Gen X

Source: www.cnn.comAuthor: Martha Shade (CNN)The vaccine given to prevent cervical cancer in women could end up saving men's lives, too. Evidence is mounting that the HPV vaccine is also effective in preventing other HPV-related cancers, including those of the head and neck. Although most people who get HPV do not develop cancer, rates of HPV-related head and neck cancers are dramatically rising for men aged 40 to 50, according to Dr. Maura L. Gillison, the Jeg Coughlin Chair of Cancer Research at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. When Gillison recently gave a presentation showing the increasing rate of HPV-related head and neck cancer among men, her audience was shocked. "I've never shown a slide where the audience gasps," she said. Related: Yes, oral sex can lead to cancer "The risk of getting this cancer is strongly related to when you were born. If you are currently a 40- to 45-year-old man, your risk of getting this cancer is dramatically higher than a 40- to 45-year-old man three or four decades ago," Gillison said. Today's 40- to 50-year-old men have had more sexual partners and have engaged in more oral sex than previous generations, according to experts, significantly raising their risk of an HPV-related head and neck cancer. Actor Michael Douglas made headlines in 2013 when he announced he was battling an HPV-related cancer and that he got it from performing oral sex. Douglas was 68 when he was diagnosed, but many of the men being diagnosed with these [...]

Charlotte Parker2015-11-05T11:21:19-07:00November, 2015|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Manitoba expands HPV vaccination program to include boys

Source: www.rapidnewsnetwork.comAuthor: Cody Griffin While most HPV infections go away over time with no treatment, a few can go on to cause cancer. Health Minister Sharon Blady said the province’s vaccine program will be expanded next year to include Grade 6 and Grade 9 boys as part of Manitoba’s cancer strategy. The province will also be doing a catch-up period in grade 9. About 59 percent of the physicians recommended HPV vaccination more often for adolescents who they perceived to be at higher risk for getting an HPV infection, as opposed to recommending it routinely for all adolescents. “Human papillomavirus can cause abnormal cell changes that can lead to cervical cancer, as well as cancer of the vagina, vulva, penis, anus, mouth and throat”, said Dr. Sri Navaratnam, president and CEO, CancerCare Manitoba. A study in Texas found that a more rigorous, information driven outreach program increased the number of children receiving the vaccine, and other recent studies have reinforced the efficacy of the vaccine to prevent cancer and not promote promiscuity among teenagers. Any girl or boy who misses the vaccine in Grade 6 will be eligible to get it in later years free of charge under the province’s “once eligible, always eligible”, program. But now we know it causes cancer in men as well. Gilkey and colleagues found that 27 percent of physicians across the country reported that they do not strongly endorse HPV vaccination, and 26 percent and 39 percent reported that they do not provide timely recommendations [...]

Charlotte Parker2015-10-23T11:47:34-07:00October, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Multisite HPV16/18 Vaccine Efficacy Against Cervical, Anal, and Oral HPV Infection

Source: www.oxfordjournal.comAuthors: Daniel Bleacher, Aimee Kreimer, Mark Schiffman, Rolando Herrero, Ana Cecilia Rodriguez, Douglas Lowy, Carolina Porras, John Schiller, Wim Quint, Silvia Jiminez, Mahboobeh Safaeian, Linda Struijk, John Scchussler, Allan Hildesheim, Paula Gonzalez Background: Previous Costa Rica Vaccine Trial (CVT) reports separately demonstrated vaccine efficacy against HPV16 and HPV18 (HPV16/18) infections at the cervical, anal, and oral regions; however, the combined overall multisite efficacy (protection at all three sites) and vaccine efficacy among women infected with HPV16 or HPV18 prior to vaccination are less known. Methods: Women age 18 to 25 years from the CVT were randomly assigned to the HPV16/18 vaccine (Cervarix) or a hepatitis A vaccine. Cervical, oral, and anal specimens were collected at the four-year follow-up visit from 4186 women. Multisite and single-site vaccine efficacies (VEs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed for one-time detection of point prevalent HPV16/18 in the cervical, anal, and oral regions four years after vaccination. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: The multisite woman-level vaccine efficacy was highest among “naïve” women (HPV16/18 seronegative and cervical HPV high-risk DNA negative at vaccination) (vaccine efficacy = 83.5%, 95% CI = 72.1% to 90.8%). Multisite woman-level vaccine efficacy was also demonstrated among women with evidence of a pre-enrollment HPV16 or HPV18 infection (seropositive for HPV16 and/or HPV18 but cervical HPV16/18 DNA negative at vaccination) (vaccine efficacy = 57.8%, 95% CI = 34.4% to 73.4%), but not in those with cervical HPV16 and/or HPV18 DNA at vaccination (anal/oral HPV16/18 VE = 25.3%, 95% CI = [...]

Charlotte Parker2015-10-16T10:10:13-07:00October, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Vaccine clears some precancerous cervical lesions in clinical trial

Source: www.sciencedaily.comAuthor: Mark L Bagarazzi, MD et al. Scientists have used a genetically engineered vaccine to successfully eradicate high-grade precancerous cervical lesions in nearly one-half of women who received the vaccine in a clinical trial. The goal, say the scientists, was to find nonsurgical ways to treat precancerous lesions caused by HPV. "Every standard therapeutic option for women with these lesions destroys part of the cervix, which is particularly relevant for women of childbearing age, who may then be at risk for preterm birth due to a weakened cervix," says Cornelia Trimble, M.D., professor of gynecology and obstetrics, oncology, and pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and first author of the new report, which appears online Sept. 17 in The Lancet. "A vaccine able to cure precancerous lesions could eventually be one way women can avoid surgery that is invasive and can also harm their fertility." High-grade cervical lesions, termed CIN2/3, occur most often in women 40 or younger, according to Trimble, a member of Johns Hopkins' Kelly Gynecologic Oncology Service and Kimmel Cancer Center. Because the lesions can progress to cancer, they are usually removed by surgery, freezing or laser. The procedures are successful in removing the precancerous areas in approximately 80 percent of women, says Trimble. Less troublesome lesions, called low-grade dysplasia, are usually monitored by physicians rather than immediately removed because they pose less of a risk for cancer and usually regress on their own. For the study, the scientists used a vaccine, originally developed [...]

Charlotte Parker2015-09-21T17:41:30-07:00September, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

AstraZenica, Inovio strike deal to find HPV cancer vaccine

Source: www.philly.comAuthor: David Sell Local drugmakers - big and small - struck a deal to try to develop a vaccine to prevent a form of cervical, head and neck cancer. MedImmune, which is the biologics and research division with AstraZeneca, said Monday it will collaborate with Inovio Pharmaceuticals to develop an early stage cancer vaccine designed to treat human pappilomavirus. AstraZeneca will pay Inovio $27.5 million upfront. If the compound reaches development and commercial milestones, Inovio could get up to $700 million, along with "double-digit tiered royalties" on product sales. However, sales are a long way off because the compound is only in phase I and phase II of what is normally a three-phase clinical trial process. AstraZeneca is moving its headquarters from London to Cambridge in the United Kingdom, and has operations in Wilmington and Fort Washington. The MedImmune division is headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md. Inovio is based in Blue Bell and its basic scientific premise is to use DNA to develop vaccines. unlike most current vaccines. The companies have worked together before. The compound at the heart of the latest deal is called INO-3112. The early clinical trials are examining cervical and head and neck camcers and the compound tries to generate "killer T-cell responses that are able to destroy HPV 16- and 18- driven tumors. These HPV types are responsible for more than 70 per cent of cervical pre-cancers and cancers, " according to the statement. The full statement from AstraZeneca is here. *This news story was [...]

Charlotte Parker2015-08-10T12:01:54-07:00August, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Professor Harald zur Hausen: Nobel scientist calls for HPV vaccination for boys

Source: www.independent.co.ukAuthor: Charlie Cooper & Gloria Nakajubi The UK should vaccinate all boys against the cancer-causing human papilloma virus (HPV), the Nobel Prize-winning scientist who discovered the link between HPV and cancer has said. Professor Harald zur Hausen, the German virologist whose theory that HPV could be a cause of cervical cancers led to global efforts to vaccinate girls against the virus, said that boys should also be protected. There is now a wealth of evidence that HPV also causes cancers in men, including anal, penile and throat cancer. Professor zur Hausen added that there was now a chance to “eradicate” HPV viruses altogether if the world developed global vaccination programmes for all children. Since 2008 the UK has offered free vaccinations against HPV to girls aged 12 to 13 – a programme that had an almost 87 per cent uptake from 2013 to 2014 and has led to falls in the number of pre-cancerous abnormalities of the cervix, according to research carried out among vaccinated girls in Scotland. Vaccine authorities in the UK, traditionally an international leader in the field of immunisation, are yet to make a judgement on a publicly funded vaccination programme for boys, which would follow in the wake of those already in place in Australia, Austria, Israel and parts of Canada. HPV is the name for a common group of viruses that can affect the moist membranes of the cervix, anus, mouth and throat. It is usually spread through sexual contact. Most sexually active people [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-07-13T17:09:58-07:00July, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

Single Dose of HPV-16/18 Vaccine Looks to Be Sufficient

Source: www.medscape.comAuthor: Jenni Laidman A single dose of a vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) may prevent cervical cancer as effectively as the standard three-dose regimen, researchers concluded after analyzing the combined results of two large vaccine trials. The HPV vaccine in these studies was Cervarix (GlaxoSmithKline), which is effective against HPV strains 16/18. If randomized controlled trials ultimately support the result of this post hoc analysis, it could broaden protection against cervical cancer in areas of the world where vaccination programs are hardest to administer and where cervical cancer is disproportionately burdensome, the study authors say. "Even if you ignore the expense, the feasibility of implementing and getting back to individuals for a second and third dose is quite challenging, especially in places where there is no infrastructure," coauthor Cosette Wheeler, PhD, Regents Professor, Pathology and Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center in Albuquerque, told Medscape Medical News. The studies are published online June 10 in the Lancet Oncology. The possibility of a single-dose HPV vaccine is "a huge public health win," coauthor Aimée R. Kreimer, PhD, Investigator, Division of Cancer Epidemiology & Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, told Medscape Medical News. "Even if one dose protects only against HPV types included in the vaccine formulation, if we vaccinated most girls, we would have the chance to reduce cervical cancer by around 75%." That's the exciting part, Dr Wheeler added. "If we're able to achieve success with one dose, or frankly even with two doses, that makes the possibility [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-06-15T12:33:51-07:00June, 2015|Oral Cancer News|

The Beginning of the End: Vaccine Prevention of HPV-Driven Cancers

Source: JNCI - Journal of the National Cancer Institute Anna R. Giuliano, Aimée R. Kreimer and Silvia de Sanjose + Author Affiliations Affiliations of authors: Center for Infection Research in Cancer, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL (ARG); Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD (ARK); Cancer Epidemiology Research Programme, Catalan Institute of Oncology, IDIBELL, Spain (SdS); CIBER Epidemiologia y Salut Pública, Barcelona, Spain (SdS). Correspondence to: Anna R. Giuliano, PhD, Professor and Director, Center for Infection Research in Cancer, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, MRC-CAN CONT, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL 33612 (e-mail: [email protected]). In this issue of the Journal, Saraiya and coauthors present an important analysis of human papillomavirus (HPV) detection in tumors retrieved from select US sites prior to HPV vaccine implementation (2006) (1). Not only are these data necessary to evaluate future vaccine effectiveness in reducing cancers caused by HPV infection, but they will also aid in the growing assessment of the worldwide burden of tumors attributable to HPV infection. These data raise the question: How many cases of cancer can be prevented by HPV vaccination in the United States? Twenty years ago, in 1995, the World Health Organization recognized for the first time that HPV 16 is the cause of cervical cancer. In 2005, 10 years after this report, there was sufficient accumulated evidence to state that HPV 16 is also the cause of multiple cancers in men and women, [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2015-05-11T13:33:23-07:00May, 2015|Oral Cancer News|