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Cervical cancer - cancer of the neck of the womb - is caused by the sexually transmissible Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Trials of a recent HPV vaccine shows the vaccine protects against HPV - though it's not known whether this translates into lower rates of cervical cancer. There aren't many cancers known to be caused by viruses. Which is a pity because vaccines could be more widely used in prevention. For instance Hepatitis B causes liver cancer and the Hep B immunisation offers major cancer reduction particularly in Asia where the virus and the cancer are highly prevalent. Another malignancy strongly linked to a virus is cervical cancer - cancer of the neck of the womb. It's almost certainly caused by a sexually transmissible germ called the Human Papilloma Virus - HPV - and it too is more common in poorer communities and nations. In fact it can raise a woman's chances of a malignancy 150 times. The results of a recent HPV vaccine trial in over 1000 young women have suggested it was highly protective against the commonest versions of the virus linked to cancer. What's not known is whether this protection translates into lower rates of cervical cancer and it's likely the vaccine will be approved for use before that information is known. At least two questions remain. One is whether blokes should be immunised since they pass the HPV around and secondly whether the price of the vaccine will allow its wide use in the developing world where it's needed most.
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