22 Apr HPV Vaccine Provides Protection at Multiple Sites

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Daniel C. Beachler, PhD Postdoctoral fellow
Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch of the
National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Dr. Beachler: HPV is a common sexually transmitted infection. Individuals can acquire HPV infections in the epithelium of their cervical, anal and oral sites, and occasionally these infections lead to cancer. There are three prophylactic HPV vaccines on the market that can protect against HPV at these sites among those not been previously exposed to HPV.
This study examined the effect of HPV vaccination of 18-25 year old women at all three anatomic sites. The combined multi-site HPV vaccine efficacy has not been reported previously. It was unknown whether the vaccine may protect non-infected sites against HPV infection or re-infection in women exposed to HPV prior to vaccination.
We observed that the HPV vaccine provides the strongest protection at all three sites among women unexposed to HPV before vaccination. Additionally, we observed some protection at the non-infected sites in women who were previously infected with HPV.

Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Dr. Beachler: This research supports current US guidelines for HPV vaccination from the CDC. They recommend routine vaccination in 11-12 year olds, who are the least likely to be previously exposed to HPV. In addition, vaccination is recommended through the age of 26 in females who were not vaccinated previously. This is important given that only half of US females under 18 have been HPV vaccinated.

Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Dr. Beachler: Further research into better understanding HPV infection occurring outside the cervix is necessary, particularly determining how often oral and anal HPV infections are acquired at older ages.

Citation:

Presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2015 April 2014

HPV Vaccine Provides Protection at Multiple Sites Even Among Some Previously Exposed

Press release: http://mb.cision.com/Public/3069/9755937/a8bd1856d3a8e43c.pdf

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MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Daniel C. Beachler, PhD (2015). HPV Vaccine Provides Protection at Multiple Sites 

Last Updated on April 22, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD