A Controlled Trial of a Human Papillomavirus Type 16 Vaccine

Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) is sexually transmitted and is present in 50 percent of cervical cancers. This randomized, double-blind trial assessed the effectiveness of a vaccine that consists of HPV-16 L1 virus-like particles in women who were seronegative for HPV-16. The vaccine was highly effective in preventing HPV-16 infection. The vaccine prevents HPV-16 infection, which is present in half of cervical cancers. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a common sexually transmitted disease. 1 – 4 Although most infections are benign, persistent infection (repeated detection of an oncogenic type of HPV) is associated with the development of cervical and other anogenital cancers. 5 – 9 Of the more than 30 types of HPV known to infect human genitalia, HPV type 16 (HPV-16) is most commonly linked with cancer, since it is present in 50 percent of cervical cancers and high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasias 4 , 10 , 11 and in 25 percent of low-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasias. 11 , 12 A vaccine that prevents persistent HPV-16 infection could substantially reduce the incidence . . .