title: Preventive vaccines for cervical cancer.
abstract: The potential use of vaccines for the human papillomavirus (HPV) in the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer is a possibility in the near future. Close to 20 genotypes of HPV, of the 75 that have been identified, infect the feminine genital tract, but four subtypes (16, 18, 31 and 45) have been associated in close to 80% of cervical cancers, this article proposes that in order to design an effective prophylactic vaccine against HPV infection, an adequate immune response should be guaranteed through four goals; a) activation of antigens present in the cell; b) overcoming the host response and viral genetic variability in the T cell response; c) generation of high levels of T and B memory cells; and d) persistence of antigens.
authors.affiliation: University of New Mexico, Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque 87131, USA.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Wheeler
mesh_terms: D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000276:immunology*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D014765:Viral Vaccines