Lack of oxygen turns cancer cells into dangerous “sleeper cells”

DKFZ: or a long time it was considered an established fact that cervical cancer, which is caused by human papillomaviruses (HPV), depends on two specific viral proteins. If they are absent, the cancer cells stop growing permanently. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now discovered that cancer cells reduce the production of these viral proteins during hypoxia - a condition of oxygen deficiency that is very common in tumors. However, this does not lead to final growth cessation, but instead induces a state of dormancy from which the cancer cells can awaken and start proliferating again and may thus cause the cancer to return.

Cervical and endometrial cancer patients report fewer side effects and better quality of life with IMRT

ASTRO: Patients with cervical and endometrial cancer have fewer gastrointestinal and genitourinary side effects and experience better quality of life when treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) than with conventional radiation therapy (RT),  according to research presented today at the 58th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). Women receiving IMRT reported significantly fewer bowel and bladder problems than those receiving conventional radiation treatment.

HPV vaccine leads to fall in precancerous cervical lesions

Scimex: The introduction of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in the US led to a decrease in the rate of high-grade cervical lesions - abnormal tissue changes that can lead to cancer - in young women, say US scientists. However, the benefits in terms of reduced incidence of cancers themselves will take many years to evaluate because of the long lag time between infection with HPV and the development of cancer, they say.

HPV protection only needs one vaccine dose, not three

Scimex: New research by international scientists, including three Australians, has brought into question whether we really need more than just one dose of the Cervarix vaccine to protect against human papillomavirus (HPV). Currently three doses of the vaccine is recommended, but the scientists found that just one dose offered the same level of protection. In an accompanying commentary an Australian expert says the development could be a game-changer for resource-poor countries.

HPV vaccine not just for girls

Scimex: A new study by Dutch scientists suggests that boys can also benefit from the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which is currently provided to girls to protect them from cervical cancer developing later on. The researchers say that the vaccine can protect men against certain cancers, which leads them to recommend a global vaccination. Men benefit indirectly from vaccinating girls against human papillomavirus (HPV), but remain at risk of cancers associated with the virus, finds a study from The Netherlands published in The BMJ this week.

Cervical cancer reduced due to screening

Canberra: Cervical cancer cases and deaths in Australia remain very low by international standards, according to a report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). The report, Cervical screening in Australia 2012-2013, shows there were 682 new cervical cancer cases diagnosed in 2011, and 143 women died from cervical cancer in 2012. 'This is equivalent to between 9 and 10 new cases of cervical cancer and 2 deaths from cervical cancer per 100,000 women each year,' said AIHW spokesperson Justin Harvey. Overall, both incidence and mortality halved between the introduction of the National Cervical Screening Program (NCSP) in 1991 and 2002, but these reductions have not applied in equal measure to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.

New HPV vaccine may protect against 90% of cervical cancers

NHS. UK: "New HPV vaccine stops 90% of cervical cancers," the Mail Online reports. The vaccine, which protects against nine common strains of the cancer-causing human papilloma virus (HPV), has proved both safe and effective in a study involving 14,000 women. HPV is one of the major causes of cervical cancer, as well as genital warts.

HPV Vaccination Not Linked to Riskier Sex

Harvard University. US: Receiving the human papillomavirus vaccine does not increase rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in adolescent females. The vaccine, which can prevent cervical cancer in women, has had a low uptake, partly because of concerns about how it will affect adolescent sexual activity.

Should HPV test replace the Pap for cervical cancer screening?

Fred Hutch. US: A panel of experts offers interim guidance – but main message is get screened and vaccinated. An interim report developed with input from multiple medical organizations and published simultaneously in three leading gynecological journals last week provides guidance to health-care providers who want to offer a test for the human papillomavirus (HPV) as first-line screening for cervical cancer. The HPV test would take the place of the Pap test, which has  been the standard since the 1950s.

FDA approves Gardasil 9 for prevention of certain cancers caused by five additional types of HPV

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Gardasil 9 (Human Papillomavirus 9-valent Vaccine, Recombinant) for the prevention of certain diseases caused by nine types of Human Papillomavirus (HPV). Covering nine HPV types, five more HPV types than Gardasil (previously approved by the FDA), Gardasil 9 has the potential to prevent approximately 90 percent of cervical, vulvar, vaginal and anal cancers.

Cervical cancer

IQWiG, Germany: Cervical cancer is the term used to describe tumors that can grow at the lower end of the womb. As far back as the 1960s it was discovered that cervical cancer is nearly always caused by a long-term infection with particular viruses. Cervical screening has been shown to reduce the risk of developing cervical cancer.