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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 Here, the authors did a combined analysis of three randomized clinical trials involving, collectively, more than 18,000 women aged 16 to 26 in 24 countries around the world. The research was funded by Merck, which makes Gardasil.
Participants had been randomly assigned to receive either the vaccine or a placebo.
After three years of follow-up, the vaccine proved to be 100 percent effective against vulval and vaginal lesions related to HPV 16 or HPV 18 in women never previously exposed to the HPV virus. The vaccine was 71 percent effective in women previously exposed to HPV.
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The vaccine reduced the risk of high-grade vaginal and vulval lesions by 49 percent, regardless of whether HPV was detected in the lesion.
"This is very impressive," said Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology at Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, La. "We're having a paradigm shift. It's very hard for a lot of people to recognize that we can actually prevent cancer, and it's very hard for people to recognize that certain types of cancer are sexually transmitted. The vaccine is very good. It is not perfect. It does not protect against every viral infection from HPV, but it protects against the ones that are the most common."
According to the Finnish study authors, the maximum effect of the vaccine would be expected in girls who are vaccinated in early adolescence, before any exposure to HPV.
"I would recommend it for my daughters and anybody else's daughters," Brooks said.
"I've been practicing medicine for 30 years and have seen patients die of cervical cancer and oftentimes younger patients who have kids at home," Twiggs added. "It's great that we can actually prevent it. It's very important for us to get the word out there about how this could prevent cancer."
More information
For more on vaginal cancer, visit the National Cancer Institute.
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