© 2005 Oxford University Press
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In Brief
Clinical Trial of Vaccine Shows Reduction in HPV Infection Rates
A randomized phase II clinical study has found that a vaccine that targets four prevalent types of human papillomavirus (HPV) reduces persistent infection with the virus and diseases associated with it.
The vaccine targets HPV types 6 and 11, which are associated with 90% of cases of genital warts, and HPV 16 and 18, which are associated with 70% of all cervical cancers. (See related story, p. 630.) More than 500 women who tested negative for HPV at enrollment were randomly assigned to receive the vaccine or a placebo.
After 30 months of follow-up, the combined incidence of infection or associated genital disease was 90% lower in the vaccine group than in the placebo group (0.7 events per 100 women-years at risk in the vaccine group versus 6.7 events per 100 women-years at risk in the placebo group).
The research, conducted by Luisa L. Villa, Ph.D., of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, and colleagues, was published online in The Lancet Oncology on April 7.
Half of Cancer Deaths Preventable, Society Reports
A new report from the American Cancer Society estimates that half of cancer deaths in the United States could be prevented through changes in lifestyle and better use of cancer screening tests.
An estimated 25% of men and 20% of women currently smoke cigarettes. About 30% of all cancer deaths are rooted in tobacco use, including about 87% of deaths from lung cancer. The number of people who smoke has been dropping because of increases in tobacco taxes, laws that limit smoking in public places, and antismoking advertisements, but some states have recently reduced funding for antismoking programs.
The report also raises concerns about the growing problem of obesity among both children and adults. The report states that obesity may increase a person's risk of dying from breast or prostate cancer, and children who are overweight may have an increased risk of developing cancer as adults.
In addition, increasing the number of people screened for several cancers—including breast, cervix, colon and rectum, and prostate—could contribute to lowering the cancer death rate, as many cancers are easier to treat when they are found in earlier stages, according to the report.
The report, "Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Facts & Figures 2005," is available online from the American Cancer Society at http://www.cancer.org.
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