Fight Throat Cancer with HPV Vaccine

Vaccination human papillomavirus (HPV) has been known to be the primary prevention of cervical cancer. However, a new study published in the journal PLoS One indicates that the vaccination is also useful to protect against throat cancer.

Throat cancer is a type of cancer that is growing rapidly, especially in developed countries. This cancer is caused by HPV infection. Therefore, the researchers suspect, the HPV vaccine is also useful to prevent this cancer.

Lead researcher on the study, Dr. Rolando Herroro, of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, said the woman who has done a number of HPV vaccination had fewer infections than those who have not.

"In fact, there are as many as 90 percent of the reduction in the prevalence of HPV infection in women who have been given the vaccination than those who have not," he said.

Herroro noted, HPV infection is closely related to the oral cavity. Thus, prevention of infection can also prevent the occurrence of cancer around the oral cavity.

HPV vaccination has many benefits because can provide prevention of many types of cancer, including anal cancer. In fact, people who have been vaccinated also prevent sexual partner has an infection.

In addition to women, added Herroro, men also need to be vaccinated to protect them from HPV oral cancer. Moreover, oral cancer in men is generally much more severe than in women.

Throat cancer caused by HPV late into the spotlight after actor Michael Douglas reported to have the disease due to oral sex does.

Herroro and his team randomly assigned 7,400 involving women aged 18 to 25 years. Those who received no hepatitis A vaccination or previous HPV. Then, some of them were given Cervarix, a vaccine to prevent HPV infection, and some received hepatitis A vaccine

Four years later, the researchers found HPV vaccine 93 percent effective in preventing cancer of the throat. Among the group of women who get HPV vaccination, which had only one HPV infection, whereas the other group, there were 15 women with HPV infection.

Professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center New York, Dr. Marc Siegel, say, because HPV infections can be transmitted through sexual activity, the vaccine is most effective before a person is sexually active.

Therefore, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention United States recommend vaccination of young girls and boys from the age of 11 years.