[Preventive vaccines against papillomavirus and cervix cancer will soon enter clinical practice]

Abstract

A vaccine may protect against cancers caused by high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs). Sexually transmitted high-risk HPV types are almost always found in cervical cancer. Incidents of HPV type 16 and cervical cancer has more than doubled after the 1980's in Finland. HPV L1 capsid protein can be produced in the yeast, after which it assembles into virus-like-particles (VLP) and can be readily used for vaccine production. HPV VLP vaccine is well tolerated and induces ten-fold higher serum antibody levels as compared to natural infection. HPV16 VLP vaccine has shown to be 91% protective effect against HPV16 infections in the first phase III study. Neutralizing HPV antibodies, induced by HPV VLP vaccination, effectively reduce the viral load even though total elimination of the virus may not be needed. It is not known for how long the vaccine induced protection will last. Recruitment of adolescents into population-based phase III vaccination studies should be large to allow reliable cancer registry based evaluation of protective effect against grave dysplasia and cervical cancer.