The vaccine protecting against 9 strains of the papillomavirus would prevent 80% of cancer cases linked to infection. It is very effective against cancers of the vagina and anus.
The new vaccine against the papillomavirus could reduce cancers linked to this virus. In the United States, protection could exceed 80% in many cancers. This is the result of the analysis of 2,670 samples of diseased tissues, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The Gardasil-9 nonavalent vaccine protects against nine strains of human papillomavirus (HPV). Administering it around 11-12 years old, before a first exposure, would improve protection. In the case of cervical cancer, good coverage would reduce the number of cases by 80%, the researchers estimate. All cancers combined, the efficiency of the injection can be improved by 13%. It is highest in the prevention of vaginal (98%) and anal (96%) cancer.
“We found that 70% of DNA samples from oropharyngeal cancer patients harbored the papillomavirus,” says Dr. Marc Goodman, lead author of the study. This is a much higher percentage than seen in other studies, possibly due to changes in sexual behavior. Even without switching to the 9-valent vaccine, the rate of HPV-related cancers should drop, the authors conclude. The new product would allow this reduction to be increased “slightly”.
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