Introduction
Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer among women worldwide, the leading cause of death. Cervical cancer is caused due to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. There are approximately 370,000 newly diagnosed cases each year. It has a 50 percent mortality rate. Patients with early-stage cervical cancer can be treated effectively and have a good prognosis. They can be treated with either surgery, radiation therapy, or a combination. Patients with the advanced-stage cervical stage usually receive radiation therapy and chemotherapy. The traditional approach to preventing cervical cancer has focused on screening women. First, women at risk for the disease are screened using the Pap smear to treat precancerous lesions. This screening technique has drastically reduced the incidence of cervical cancer in developed countries. Therefore, the incidence of cervical cancer in undeveloped countries is higher because of screening failure.
Preventing infection with HPV will also prevent the development of cervical cancer. Preventing disease poses a great challenge for sexually transmitted diseases. HPV is easily transmitted through intercourse. Condom use cannot prevent transmission, and infection often occurs without symptoms. The current treatments are ineffective, and the virus can remain infectious in an individual for years. Additionally, HPV virions of the high-risk types cannot be isolated from naturally occurring lesions.
What Is Cervical Cancer Vaccine?
The human papillomavirus (HPV) causes cervical cancer. The genetic material of HPV causes cervical cancer. HPV-6, HPV-11, HPV-16, and HPV 18 most commonly infect the genitals of human beings, and infection is transmitted through sexual intercourse. Generally, the HPV virus results in infection of the genital tract. HPV or HPV-related infection generally affects the penis, vulva, vagina, cervix, perineum, or anus (parts of the genital tract in the human). The cervical cancer vaccine is a substance used to produce antibodies against the potential causative agent of cervical cancer in humans to protect from further exposure to HPV. Antibodies are substances secreted by white blood cells used by our body's immune system to protect from infection. Vaccines are generally produced by using a disarmed pathogen (HPV) introduced in the body to produce antibodies against it. These pre-form antibodies help to protect our body from further exposure to the infection. Vaccination against HPV infection has been introduced and is routinely used in many countries.
There are three types of vaccines:
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Bivalent Vaccine - A bivalent vaccine accounts for approximately 75 percent of protection from cervical cancer in the United Kingdom. A bivalent vaccine offers protection against HPV types 16 and 18.
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Quadrivalent Vaccine - A quadrivalent accounts for approximately 90 percent of protection from genital warts. A quadrivalent vaccine offers additional protection against HPV types 6 and 11.
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Monovalent Vaccine - A monovalent vaccine protects against five additional high-risk types (31, 33, 45, 52, and 58).
All vaccines are highly affected in preventing cervical cancer in young women. The quadrivalent and monovalent vaccines have also been highly effective in protecting against HIV-associated genital warts. It is currently recommended that HPV vaccination should be administered before the onset of sexual activity, typically at the age of 11 to 13 years. The HPV vaccines are available in the course of three injections. In the United States, only girls are offered vaccination. Vaccine administration is possible for all potential age groups in whom HPV transmitted is associated with an increased risk of cancer. Even though no vaccine protects against all cancerous types of HPV, still cervical screening programs are necessary.
How Does Cervical Cancer Vaccine Work?
The HPV preventive vaccine depends on immunizing individuals with HPV virus-like particles (VLPs) to generate HPV-virus antibodies. They can be obtained by overexpression of the virus's protein alone or by co-expression with the minor capsid protein L2. HPV VLPs mimic infectious virions in their shape and functions. Therefore, virus-like particles are the most attractive candidate for developing a prophylactic vaccine because of their properties of not containing viral deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and are non-infectious and non-oncogenic (not having the potential to cause cancer). In addition, several studies have indicated that humoral immunity is a key factor in preventing infection with animal papillomaviruses. Therefore, the passive transfer of serum-containing antibodies generated against VLPs helps prevent human infection.
Why Is the Cervical Cancer Vaccine Necessary?
Developing HPV-related illness treatments and vaccinations is crucial to protect against infection.
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Using a condom can help prevent the transmission of HPV to a non-infected partner, but HPV may affect part of the genital area not protected by condoms. Therefore, the use of vaccination is important to protect against HPV infection.
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Future exposure to HPV infection can trigger virus-neutralizing antibodies that may be able to prevent HPV infection.
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Virus-like particles offer tremendous promise as one of the novel preventative immunizations being researched in experimental and clinical trials.
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Vaccines are shown in clinical trials to be a safe, effective, and well-tolerated prophylactic vaccine that offers protection against HPV infection.
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To stop the infection and the transmission of the virus, preteens and teenagers should get vaccinated.
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Vaccines have life-saving implications as it provides protection from cancer that may be fatal.
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Vaccines against HPV might prevent or delay tumor recurrence.
Conclusion
The medical community, governing bodies, and society must address several social and financial issues before the vaccine is made widely available, even if it is shown in clinical trials to be a safe, effective, and well-tolerated prophylactic vaccine that offers protection against HPV infection. Getting parents' permission to administer a vaccination against a sexually transmitted disease, especially if it has life-saving implications, will be a major barrier to reaching this demographic. The general public's education will be essential for implementing effective cervical cancer prevention measures. Educational initiatives aimed at parents of adolescent children or teens themselves should cover the information that HPV is a required cause of cervical cancer, the value of vaccination in disease prevention, and other elements that contribute to the overall risk of cervical cancer. The development of preventive and therapeutic vaccinations against the virus may one day result in managing or treating HPV-associated lesions.
