Researchers at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute found that an improved vaccine is able to protect against nine types of HPV.
The human papillomavirus, or HPV, is a very common sexually transmitted disease that causes genital and anal warts and is a significant risk factor for cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with nearly 300,000 deaths each year. More than 80 percent of these deaths happen in developing countries.
There are more than 100 types of HPV, however, only 13 types are associated with cancer development, with HPV 16 and 18 estimated to cause the majority of cervical cancers at 70 percent.
There are two existing HPV vaccines, Cervarix and Gardasil, that are effective at preventing infection from HPV 16 and 18. Gardasil can also protect against HPV 6 and 11. But both Cervarix and Gardasil do not protect against all types of HPV.
Researchers found that the newest HPV vaccine, 9vHPV, is highly effective at preventing HPV infection and protects against HPV 16, 18, 6, 11 and another five types of HPV: 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58. The 9vHPV vaccine or Gardasil was randomized on 14,215 women age 16 to 26.
The study, published Tuesday in The Lancet, found that 9vHPV has long-term effectiveness against HPV and reduced the risk of developing HPV 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58 by 97.7 percent compared to Gardasil.
"Based on epidemiological studies, the 9vHPV vaccine could prevent approximately 90 percent of cervical cancer, 90 percent of HPV-related vulvar and vaginal cancer, 70 to 85 percent of high-grade cervical disease in females, and approximately 90 percent of HPV-related anal cancer and genital warts in males and females worldwide," Anna R. Giuliano, director of the Center for Infection Research in Cancer at Moffitt, said in a news release.
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