The Hindu : International / Globescan : Row feared over cancer vaccine

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 03, 2005

International

International - Globescan

Row feared over cancer vaccine

London: A vaccine against cervical cancer could be available within five years but its introduction may be hampered by political controversy, a scientist has said. Two clinical trials involving more than 30,000 young women are about to begin in Britain and America. Anne Szarewski, a consultant for Cancer Research UK, said the vaccine — aimed at the human papilloma virus (HPV), which has been linked to the second most lethal cancer for women worldwide — could be controversial. Human papilloma virus is transmitted sexually. Many men and women are affected at some stage in their lives, but in a small proportion of cases the virus begins a process that ends in the first stages of cervical cancer. Though there are 15 different strains of the virus, the trials are targeting the two which, between them, account for 70 per cent of all cases. If and when a vaccine becomes available, doctors and parents would have to decide whether they should vaccinate girls aged 10 or even younger. Dr. Szarewski said that ``there will be an HPV vaccine within the next few years because the results have been so good ... I think that is going to be a huge political issue with this vaccine, about vaccinating young girls against what is effectively a sexually transmitted infection.'' —

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International