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.

Two shots of HPV vaccine as good as three

Scimex: In a study published online by JAMA, Ole-Erik Iversen, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Bergen, Norway, and colleagues examined whether human papillomavirus (HPV) type-specific antibody responses would be noninferior (not worse than) among girls and boys ages 9 to 14 years after receiving 2 doses of the 9-valent HPV vaccine compared with adolescent girls and young women ages 16 to 26 years who received the standard 3 doses.

CDC recommends only two HPV shots for younger adolescents

CDC today recommended that 11- to 12-year-olds receive two doses of HPV vaccine at least six months apart rather than the previously recommended three doses to protect against cancers caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. Teens and young adults who start the series later, at ages 15 through 26 years, will continue to need three doses of HPV vaccine to protect against cancer-causing HPV infection.
“Safe, effective, and long-lasting protection against HPV cancers with two visits instead of three means more Americans will be protected from cancer,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “This recommendation will make it simpler for parents to get their children protected in time.”

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.

HPV vaccination in boys saves spending on throat and mouth cancer

Scimex: Canadian researchers have found that vaccinating 12-year-old boys against the humanpapilloma virus (HPV) could be a cost-effective strategy for preventing a particular type of oral cancer that is increasing in the western world. The researchers applied a statistical model to a group of 192,940 Canadian boys who were 12 years old in 2012 in order to predict their health outcomes, and found that vaccinating the boys against HPV could result in millions of dollars of savings over their lifetimes.

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.

NIH-funded study uncovers range of molecular alterations in head and neck cancers, new potential drug targets

NIH. US: Investigators with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network have discovered genomic differences — with potentially important clinical implications — in head and neck cancers caused by infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the United States, and the number of HPV-related head and neck cancers has been growing. Almost every sexually active person will acquire HPV at some point in their lives, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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.

Oral Human Papillomavirus Infection More Likely to Persist in Older Men

American Association for Cancer Research.: Oral infection with human papillomavirus 16 (HPV16), which is the type of HPV most frequently linked to HPV-driven head and neck cancers, was more likely to persist 12 or more months in men older than 45 than in those younger than 45, according to a study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

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.