title: Prospects for cervical cancer prevention by human papillomavirus vaccination.
abstract: Recent clinical trials in young women have shown that subunit vaccines based on human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 and HPV18 L1 virus-like particles are approximately 100% effective in short-term prevention of persistent cervical infection and of cervical dysplasia by these major oncogenic types. These remarkable efficacy results, together with an excellent safety profile in thousands of vaccinated women, have led to the HPV prophylactic vaccine from one manufacturer having now been licensed for commercial use and the expectation that the vaccine from a second manufacturer will be approved in the near future. These vaccines seem to have great potential for reducing cervical cancer deaths and treatments to remove premalignant cervical lesions. However, before their public health effect can be fully estimated, several issues must be addressed. These include duration of protection, degree of cross-protection against nonvaccine types, efficacy in men, and vaccine availability to economically disadvantaged women.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cellular Oncology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. schillej@dc37a.nci.nih.gov
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Schiller
authors.forename: Douglas R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Lowy
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D052162:Human papillomavirus 16 / Q000276:immunology*; D052161:Human papillomavirus 18 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines