Cervical cancer vaccines offer broader cancer protection

Researchers now believe the first ever cervical cancer vaccine may provide even more protection against the killer disease than first thought.

According to new data presented at a medical conference in Prague, the vaccine Gardasil has the potential to neutralise additional strains of the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) that causes the disease.

Gardasil directly targets HPV types 16 and 18, which account for 75 percent of all cervical cancer, but now scientists have found the vaccine is also capable of neutralising strains 31 and 45, which together account for another 8 to 9 percent of cases.

They say more clinical trials are needed to confirm this discovery but the revelation is a huge plus as it means the vaccine will be almost 85% effective in preventing HPV types.

Gardasil is produced by drug company Merck and faces direct competition from GlaxoSmithKline's rival vaccine Cervarix which has shown equal promise in fighting a range of cancer-causing HPV types.

GlaxoSmithKline's vaccine Cervarix vaccine, effective against HPV 16 and HPV 18, has also been effective against two other HPVs, 45 and 31, the third and fourth most common strains and this means in effect that as many as 800 lives each year could be saved.

Cervical cancer is the second-biggest cancer killer in women worldwide and is responsible for 270,000 deaths a year; it is more common after a woman has reached her late thirties.

On average a third of all women who develop cervical cancer die from the disease.

The vaccine is targeted at girls who are not yet sexually active and many experts feel that even girls younger than 12 years should be vaccinated.

Gardasil is already approved for sale in the United States and is awaiting approval in Europe.

The HPV 16 and 18 are also involved in cancers of the vulva and vagina which are comparatively rare, and the vaccine also protects against them.

Both vaccines should also protect against the precancerous stages of cervical disease, causing fewer abnormal smears.