Cancer Research Lab

Merck & Co. Thursday said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has adopted the recommendation of an advisory panel that the drugmaker’s vaccine against cervical cancer routinely be given to females aged 11 through 26.

The recommendations for use of the Gardasil vaccine, which provides protection against two strains of the human papillomavirus responsible for most cases of cervical cancer, were issued by the FDA’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in June 2006.

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Women with locally advanced cervical cancer undergoing radiation therapy have better survival when they receive concomitant cisplatin-based treatment in a 5-day inpatient regimen rather than an easier weekly outpatient protocol, according to New York-based researchers.

“Because of the ease of weekly dosing and the lower cost of outpatient cisplatin administration in combination with radiation therapy for the treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer,” Dr. Mark H. Einstein said, there has been “a trend to use outpatient weekly cisplatin despite no randomized, controlled comparison trials showing equivalency to inpatient 5-day regimens.”

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What is Cervical Health Awareness Month?
Cervical Health Awareness Month was created to raise awareness about the prevention of cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is currently the second-leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide. The American Cancer Society estimated that over 9,000 women would be diagnosed with the disease in 2006 and over 3,000 would die from it in the U.S. alone.

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Did you know the Pap smear is the only screening tool for cancer that has resulted in a significant drop in the number of cancer diagnosis, as well as increasing the survival rate for any type of cancer dramatically? Regular Pap smears, or other newer tests such as Thin Prep which can detect possible pre-cancer changes in the cervix for up to five years, are the only way to catch cervical cancers at an early stage when surgery or another type of procedure often stops the progression to cervical cancer.

Follow your health professional’s advice about when you need to have a Pap smear. You can significantly lower your risk of full-blown cervical cancer developing by adhering to a strict schedule of having regular pelvic exams, as directed by your health care provider, throughout your lifetime.

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Reducing Your Risk of Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable types of cancer. Because of the Pap smear test, the number of cervical cancer cases has dropped over the past twenty years. However, many women still develop cervical cancer. In fact, over 9,000 women in the U.S. develop cervical cancer every year.

While some cases of cervical cancer cannot be prevented, there are many things a woman can do to reduce her risk of developing cervical cancer.

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How to Reduce Your Risk of Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer prevention should be a top priority for all women. Women can take several simple steps women to reduce their risk of developing cervical cancer. Small lifestyle adjustments combined with medical care go a long way in preventing cervical cancer.

1. Practice Safe Sex
Safe sex is not only essential for preventing pregnancy, but also for sexually transmitted diseases like the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a common sexually transmitted virus and is the primary cause of most cases of cervical cancer. You can reduce your risk of being infected with HPV by using a condom during sexual intercourse. A condom won’t provide 100-percent protection against HPV, but studies show that condoms do provide some protection against HPV. You are much better off with your partner wearing a condom than not wearing one.

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Since last year, it has become possible to vaccinate against the human papillomavirus (HPV) that causes most cases of cervical cancer, but countries face tough decisions before making the vaccine widely available.
The excitement surrounding the HPV vaccine is not surprising given that half a million women a year develop cervical cancer and half of those die as a result.

But the HPV vaccine is no magic bullet: it has the potential to substantially reduce the prevalence of cervical cancer, but not to eradicate it. Now that an HPV vaccine is already on the market, while a second is expected to receive regulatory approval soon, health professionals and health-care policymakers face tough decisions.

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