Single dose of HPV vaccine provides similar protection as multiple doses:
Introduced first in 2006, the multi-dose human pappilomavirus (HPV) vaccine can prevent most cervical and anal cancers among children and young adults exposed to the virus. It can also prevent the majority of both HPV-driven oral and penile cancer. Unfortunately, the vaccine coverage has remained low may be due to the multi-dose regimen.
Researchers have found that a single dose of HPV vaccine may provide just as much protection from cervical cancer as the recommended 2-3 doses do.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 34,800 new cancer diagnoses are linked to HPV annually. The virus is thought to account for more than 90% of all cervical and anal cancer, more than 60% of all penile cancers and approximately 70% of all oral cancers.
While results of the paper showed that a single dose may be as effective as the currently recommended 203 or 3 dose series, it's too early for people to rely on a single dose of the vaccine for protection, according to senior author and an Asst. Prof.
HPV vaccine coverage is less than 10 % globally because of poor vaccine uptake rates in many resource-limited countries. Ensuring boys and girls receive their first dose is a big challenge in several countries and a majority of adolescents are not able to complete the recommended series due to a lack of intensive infrastructure needed to administer 2-3 doses, a researcher said. If ongoing clinical trials provide evidence regarding sustained benefits of a 1 dose regimen, then implications of single-dose strategy could be substantial for reducing the burden of these cancers globally.
Although the study participants included only women, the CDC recommends a 2-dose regimen for all children starting the series before age 15 or a 3-dose regimen if the series is started between ages 16-26. The latest generation of HPV vaccine can protect against nearly 90% of cancer-causing HPV infections. Yet, current vaccinations rates are less than ideal--- half of the people in the US are not vaccinated against this common sexually transmitted infection.
The current HPV vaccine dosing regimen can be cumbersome for people to understand. If one dose is proven effective in trials, the vaccine regimen will be simplified. This will help improve the coverage rate among adolescents that are currently below the Healthy People 2020 goal and possible will also increase the momentum of uptake in the newly approved age group, said the lead author.
Researchers have found that a single dose of HPV vaccine may provide just as much protection from cervical cancer as the recommended 2-3 doses do.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 34,800 new cancer diagnoses are linked to HPV annually. The virus is thought to account for more than 90% of all cervical and anal cancer, more than 60% of all penile cancers and approximately 70% of all oral cancers.
While results of the paper showed that a single dose may be as effective as the currently recommended 203 or 3 dose series, it's too early for people to rely on a single dose of the vaccine for protection, according to senior author and an Asst. Prof.
HPV vaccine coverage is less than 10 % globally because of poor vaccine uptake rates in many resource-limited countries. Ensuring boys and girls receive their first dose is a big challenge in several countries and a majority of adolescents are not able to complete the recommended series due to a lack of intensive infrastructure needed to administer 2-3 doses, a researcher said. If ongoing clinical trials provide evidence regarding sustained benefits of a 1 dose regimen, then implications of single-dose strategy could be substantial for reducing the burden of these cancers globally.
Although the study participants included only women, the CDC recommends a 2-dose regimen for all children starting the series before age 15 or a 3-dose regimen if the series is started between ages 16-26. The latest generation of HPV vaccine can protect against nearly 90% of cancer-causing HPV infections. Yet, current vaccinations rates are less than ideal--- half of the people in the US are not vaccinated against this common sexually transmitted infection.
The current HPV vaccine dosing regimen can be cumbersome for people to understand. If one dose is proven effective in trials, the vaccine regimen will be simplified. This will help improve the coverage rate among adolescents that are currently below the Healthy People 2020 goal and possible will also increase the momentum of uptake in the newly approved age group, said the lead author.