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  • Health & Medicine

The cervical cancer vaccine has arrived

by Kat Arney | Analysis

3 September 2008

4 comments 4 comments

Someone having an injectionSeptember is here, bringing that back-to-school feeling. This year, along with a new pencil case and protractor, girls aged 11 and 12 will be getting an added extra – a vaccine that will protect them against HPV, the virus that causes cervical cancer.

The roll-out of the programme has already started in Scotland, as the lucky kids there have gone back to school earlier than the rest of the UK. There will also be a ‘catch-up’ programme for girls up to the age of 18.

But will the vaccine really eradicate cervical cancer in the UK?


For background, there’s a nice piece about cervical cancer, HPV and the vaccine on our patient information website, CancerHelp UK.

The most important thing to remember is that although the vaccine is a welcome addition to our arsenal against cervical cancer, it’s not our only weapon. Here in the UK we have extremely effective national screening programmes of cervical smear tests, which are thought to save around 5,000 lives every year. In fact, Cancer Research UK’s last major campaign was Screening Matters, highlighting the importance of screening in detecting and preventing cancer.

Even with the introduction of a vaccination programme, it’s unlikely that screening will ever be phased out. For a start, the vaccine being used in the UK, Cervarix, only protects against two strains of HPV that are responsible for about 7 out of 10 cases of cervical cancer. There are other strains of the virus that the vaccine won’t protect against. And, as with any such initiative, it’s unlikely that every single girl will get the vaccine, either by accidental omission or by choice.

N.B. There’s been some discussion in the media about the pros and cons of Cervarix compared with Gardasil, another (more expensive) cervical cancer vaccine. Both vaccines protect against the two strains of HPV that cause cervical cancer, and in this respect are equally effective. However, Gardasil also protects against other types of HPV that cause genital warts but not cancer. Although genital warts are unpleasant, they are not a life-threatening condition.

After all that, although every life lost to cancer is precious, the vaccine will only save up to 400 lives per year, according to most reports. And the vaccination programme is also expensive, costing millions at a time when the Government is coming under fire for failing to fund pricey cancer drugs.

So why vaccinate at all?
As mentioned earlier, cervical screening saves around 5,000 lives every year. This is because the smear test picks up pre-cancerous changes that can be treated before they develop into full-blown cancer – changes that are due to HPV infection. That’s thousands of women every year going through the anxiety of having an abnormal smear, the discomfort of treatment, and the fear that the problem may return.

So as well as the cost of treatment to the NHS, there’s an emotional cost to be considered, along with practical considerations like taking time off work for treatment. On paper, the vaccine may not look like great value for money in terms of cost-per-life-saved. But add in the costs of treating pre-cancerous conditions and it starts to look like a much better deal.

Finally, let’s not forget that this is an exciting moment – this is the first time that a vaccine to prevent cancer has been made nationally available. And looking outside our borders, the development of cervical cancer vaccines could make a big difference elsewhere in the world.

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers in Africa, and a major killer of women in this area. Making vaccines more widely available throughout the developing world would save thousands upon thousands of lives.

Kat

    Comments

  • Kat
    17 November 2008

    Hi Karen,

    There’s lots more information about the vaccination programme on the NHS website here:
    http://www.immunisation.nhs.uk/Vaccines/HPV
    They provide a downloadable pdf showing when older girls will get the vaccination as part of the “catch up” programme over the next couple of years:
    http://www.immunisation.nhs.uk/files/HPV_schedule_v2.pdf

    And finally, it’s still important to stress that the best way to prevent cervical cancer is to go for screening when invited, from the age of 25 onwards.

    Kat

  • Karen Wait
    14 November 2008

    Please can you tell me what happens to our daughters who are 13 and above? Will they have an opportunity to have the vaccine or is it thought that they do not need it?

  • Jean Slocombe
    15 October 2008

    Hi Karen

    You probably know that the vaccine being offered as part of the NHS Immunisations Programme is called Cervarix. It protects against two high risk strains of HPV (16 and 18). These strains are thought to cause about 70% of cancers of the cervix.

    Once a woman becomes sexually active, she is at risk of coming into contact with HPV. So the NHS programme aims to vaccinate girls before they become sexually active to get the best protection. Studies have shown that in women who have not been previously exposed to HPV 16 and 18, Cervarix gives almost 100% protection against these two strains.

    From following women up in studies after having Cervarix, doctors now know that it offers protection for at least six and a half years. They can measure the levels of antibodies produced by the immune system in response to the vaccine. As these levels have so far remained high, doctors are optimistic that the vaccine will continue to offer protection for many years. They do not know yet if a booster vaccine will be needed in the future to maintain the high levels. So it is possible that the Cervarix vaccine will offer young girls protection for many years to come.

    I hope this answers your question.

    Thanks

    Jean Slocombe
    Senior Cancer Information Nurse
    Cancer Research UK

  • Karen Neale
    14 October 2008

    Kat
    It is possible to tell how long the vaccine offered through schools will protect for. My daughter is 12 years and I have read (and heard from other parents) that the vaccine will only be effective for about 5 years. If this is the case, it seems pointless and we would rather wait until she is older to have the vaccine. I would be grateful for your comments.

    Regards

    Karen Neale

    Comments

  • Kat
    17 November 2008

    Hi Karen,

    There’s lots more information about the vaccination programme on the NHS website here:
    http://www.immunisation.nhs.uk/Vaccines/HPV
    They provide a downloadable pdf showing when older girls will get the vaccination as part of the “catch up” programme over the next couple of years:
    http://www.immunisation.nhs.uk/files/HPV_schedule_v2.pdf

    And finally, it’s still important to stress that the best way to prevent cervical cancer is to go for screening when invited, from the age of 25 onwards.

    Kat

  • Karen Wait
    14 November 2008

    Please can you tell me what happens to our daughters who are 13 and above? Will they have an opportunity to have the vaccine or is it thought that they do not need it?

  • Jean Slocombe
    15 October 2008

    Hi Karen

    You probably know that the vaccine being offered as part of the NHS Immunisations Programme is called Cervarix. It protects against two high risk strains of HPV (16 and 18). These strains are thought to cause about 70% of cancers of the cervix.

    Once a woman becomes sexually active, she is at risk of coming into contact with HPV. So the NHS programme aims to vaccinate girls before they become sexually active to get the best protection. Studies have shown that in women who have not been previously exposed to HPV 16 and 18, Cervarix gives almost 100% protection against these two strains.

    From following women up in studies after having Cervarix, doctors now know that it offers protection for at least six and a half years. They can measure the levels of antibodies produced by the immune system in response to the vaccine. As these levels have so far remained high, doctors are optimistic that the vaccine will continue to offer protection for many years. They do not know yet if a booster vaccine will be needed in the future to maintain the high levels. So it is possible that the Cervarix vaccine will offer young girls protection for many years to come.

    I hope this answers your question.

    Thanks

    Jean Slocombe
    Senior Cancer Information Nurse
    Cancer Research UK

  • Karen Neale
    14 October 2008

    Kat
    It is possible to tell how long the vaccine offered through schools will protect for. My daughter is 12 years and I have read (and heard from other parents) that the vaccine will only be effective for about 5 years. If this is the case, it seems pointless and we would rather wait until she is older to have the vaccine. I would be grateful for your comments.

    Regards

    Karen Neale