* 64 percent knew that HPV could be sexually transmitted, and
79 percent knew it could cause abnormal Pap smears.
The public needs education about HPV and cervical cancer in order
to make appropriate, evidence-based health care choices among existing
prevention strategies, including the Pap test, HPV DNA test, and
HPV vaccine, researchers concluded.
"Individuals are constantly being presented with new health care
research that updates previous knowledge, might conflict with prior
knowledge, or provides entirely new options for diagnosis and treatment,"
said Jasmin A. Tiro, Ph.D., MPH, in the Division of Cancer Control
and Population Sciences, NCI, Bethesda, Md. "With limited awareness
about HPV among women in this country, there is a need for clear,
consistent information about HPV transmission, prevention, detection
and the link to cervical cancer. We expect that media coverage over
the past year and direct-to-consumer marketing efforts by the makers
of the HPV DNA test and the HPV vaccine will increase awareness,
and NCI is conducting studies to monitor this possible increase.
We plan to track the diffusion of knowledge to make sure that all
women have accurate knowledge about HPV and how to prevent cervical
cancer."
The Effects of Information Framing on Intentions to Vaccinate Against
HPV
The success of the HPV vaccine depends largely on the public's willingness
to accept vaccination. Because of the potentially controversial
nature of the vaccine, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's
EPIC Center of Excellence in Cancer Communication Research assessed
how its portrayal in the media would affect attitudes toward vaccination
among women.
The study was a part of the Annenberg National Health Communication
Survey, a monthly barometer of the public's health communication
practices and needs. The survey is jointly funded by the National
Cancer Institute, the Annenberg School for Communication and the
Sunnylands Trust at Annenberg. It was fielded in June, 2006, roughly
coinciding with FDA approval of the vaccine.
A nationally representative sample of U.S. adults over 18 was randomly
assigned to read one of three paragraphs about the vaccine, each
emphasizing a different point of view: the vaccine protects against
cervical cancer; the vaccine protects against cervical cancer and
sexually transmitted infections; or, the vaccine protects against
cervical cancer, sexually transmitted infections and may or may
not lead to increased sexual promiscuity among those vaccinated.
The survey was then given to gauge intentions toward vaccination.
It was completed by 635 adults, 49 percent of whom were women.
Researchers found:
* More than half of respondents (56 percent) had heard of HPV and
reported that they had seen or heard news or ads about HPV in the
past week;
* Although 42 percent of respondents had heard about a vaccine for
HPV, 80 percent indicated never having talked to a health care provider
about the virus.
How the vaccine was presented greatly affected women's intentions
to vaccinate. When women read that the vaccine protects only against
cervical cancer, 63 percent indicated they were "very likely" or
"somewhat likely" to get vaccinated, compared to 43 percent of women
who read that the vaccine protects against cervical cancer and a
sexually transmitted infection.
"Despite high levels of exposure to and awareness of the newly approved
HPV vaccine, intentions to vaccinate are mixed," said Amy Leader,
MPH, Research Director, EPIC Center of Excellence in Cancer Communication
Research. "Trends indicate that intentions are highest when the
vaccine is framed to solely prevent cervical cancer and lowest when
the vaccine is framed to prevent both cervical cancer and a sexually
transmitted infection, or STI, indicating that people may feel the
need for an STI vaccine is unnecessary."
Participants were also asked about their intentions to vaccinate
if they had to pay for the vaccine or if the vaccine were provided
at little or no cost. Although the majority reported having some
form of health insurance coverage, intentions to vaccinate one's
self or a daughter were substantially higher when the vaccine was
available at little or no cost. For example, 54 percent of parents
indicated that they were "very likely" or "somewhat likely" to want
the vaccine for their daughter if it were provided at little or
no cost, compared to 38 percent of parents who would consider the
vaccine for their daughter if it would cost their family.
###
The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to
prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, AACR is the world's oldest
and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer
research. The membership includes more than 24,000 basic, translational,
and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer
survivors and advocates in the United States and more than 70 other
countries. AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the
cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis
and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational
programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research grants. The
AACR Annual Meeting attracts over 17,000 participants who share
the latest discoveries and developments in the field. Special Conferences
throughout the year present novel data across a wide variety of
topics in cancer research, diagnosis and treatment. AACR publishes
five major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Research; Clinical
Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer
Research; and Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
Its most recent publication, CR, is a magazine for cancer
survivors, patient advocates, their families, physicians, and scientists.
It provides a forum for sharing essential, evidence-based information
and perspectives on progress in cancer research, survivorship and
advocacy.
Contact: Warren Froelich
American Association for Cancer Research
Merck HPV Vaccine Effective in Preventing Infection With Four
Strains Linked to Genital Warts, Cervical Cancer, Study Says
Main Category: Women's Health / OBGYN News
Article Date: 11 Apr 2005 - 0:00 PST
.Merck's experimental vaccine targeting the four strains of the
sexually transmitted disease human papillomavirus that are most
likely to cause cervical cancer or genital warts was 89% effective
in preventing infection with the viral strains and 100% effective
in preventing cervical cancer, precancerous lesions or genital warts,
according to a study published in the April issue of the journal
Lancet Oncology, Reuters Health reports. Luisa Villa, a biologist
at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in Sao Paulo, Brazil,
and colleagues conducted the Phase II trial of the vaccine among
552 women ages 16 to 23 in the United States, Europe and Brazil.
None of the participants were pregnant, had a history of abnormal
Pap tests or had more than four sexual partners (Reuters Health,
4/7). Participants who had tested positive for HPV antibodies in
the past were not excluded from the study. Of the 552 study participants,
277 received three shots of the vaccine -- known as Gardasil --
and 275 women received placebo injections over a six-month period
(Rubin, USA Today, 4/6). Over three years, study participants underwent
routine pelvic exams, Pap testing, serum testing for HPV antibodies
and cervicovaginal sampling for HPV DNA (Villa et al., Lancet Oncology,
4/1).
Results
Among the women who received the placebo, 36 either contracted HPV
or developed one of the diseases associated with it (Johnson, AP/Long
Island Newsday, 4/6). Of those, three developed genital warts and
three developed pre-cancerous cervical lesions (USA Today, 4/6).
Among the women who received the vaccine, four contracted HPV, but
none of them developed any of the diseases associated with the virus.
Overall, the researchers found that the experimental vaccine led
to approximately 90% fewer cases of persistent infection or disease
due to HPV types 16 and 18, which cause about 70% of cervical cancer
cases, or types 6 and 11, which cause about 90% of all cases of
genital warts, AP/Newsday reports (AP/Long Island Newsday, 4/6).
Although HPV antibodies dropped at the end of the study period among
women who had received the experimental vaccine, their antibody
levels were still higher than in women naturally infected with HPV
(USA Today, 4/6).
Reaction
"It's the first time we show efficacy for the most broad-coverage
vaccine in development," Eliav Barr, head of Merck's HPV vaccine
development program, said (AP/Long Island Newsday, 4/6). "If
(larger) Phase III studies demonstrate the vaccine is as effective
as this, I'm sure that it will change the history of cervical cancer,"
Villa said in a phone interview (Hirschler, Reuters, 4/6). The researchers
believe the vaccine would be most effective if administered to girls
ages 10 to 13 because they likely would not have been exposed to
the virus previously (BBC News, 4/7). Christopher Crum, director
of women's and perinatology pathology at the Brigham and Women's
Hospital in Boston, said he is "cautiously optimistic"
that the vaccine's protective effects would last throughout a woman's
reproductive years, according to USA Today (USA Today, 4/6).
Other Ongoing Trials
GlaxoSmithKline also is developing a vaccine against HPV that is
being tested in thousands of women around the world to confirm the
effectiveness and safety of the vaccines (Kaiser Daily Reproductive
Health Report, 4/5). The newly released results of the Merck study
are "almost identical" to the findings of a study testing
the effectiveness of GSK's experimental HPV vaccine targeting strains
16 and 18, Reuters reports (Reuters, 4/6). Currently, the companies
are competing to get their products approved. GSK plans to file
for regulatory approval for its vaccine, called Cervarix, in Europe
in 2006. Merck plans to apply for FDA approval for its expanded
HPV vaccine in late 2005 (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report,
4/5).
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org kaisernetwork.org.
You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report,
search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/repro
The Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report is published for kaisernetwork.org,
a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . ? 2005
Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights
reserved.
What Does The Public Really Know About HPV?
Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs News
Article Date: 15 Nov 2006 - 6:00 PST
|
Human papillomaviruses (HPV) are the most common sexually transmitted
infections in the United States, and certain "high risk"
types have been shown to cause cervical cancer. Despite recent advances
in the detection and prevention of HPV, the link between the virus
and cervical cancer is not well known to the public. In June 2006,
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first vaccine
to prevent infection of two high risk types of HPV, and two types
that cause genital warts. The Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices (ACIP) recommended it for females 9 to 26 years of age.
Two studies presented on 12-Nov-2006 at the American Association
for Cancer Research's Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research meeting
in Boston assess the public's understanding of HPV and whether discussion
of the vaccine by the media and public has influenced the decision
to vaccinate among women at risk.
What Do U.S. Women Know About Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Cervical
Cancer?
Many women with HPV show no symptoms of the virus, and infections
often clear without need for treatment. Because of this, many women
do not have the opportunity to speak with their physicians about
HPV and therefore may not learn that some HPV infections are persistent
and can develop into cervical cancer.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) created the Health Information
National Trends Survey (HINTS) to monitor health communications
about cancer. In 2005, one high-priority research aim was to assess,
for the first time, the awareness and knowledge of HPV in a nationally
representative sample of women.
To identify factors associated with U.S. women's awareness of HPV
and its link to cervical cancer, researchers from NCI analyzed cross-sectional
data collected from more than 3,000
women ages 18 to 75 who responded to HINTS. Researchers found that:
* Only 40 percent had ever heard about HPV;
* Among them, less than half were aware of the virus' connection
to cervical cancer;
* 64 percent knew that HPV could be sexually transmitted, and 79
percent knew it could cause abnormal Pap smears.
The public needs education about HPV and cervical cancer in order
to make appropriate, evidence-based health care choices among existing
prevention strategies, including the Pap test, HPV DNA test, and
HPV vaccine, researchers concluded.
"Individuals are constantly being presented with new health
care research that updates previous knowledge, might conflict with
prior knowledge, or provides entirely new options for diagnosis
and treatment," said Jasmin A. Tiro, Ph.D., MPH, in the Division
of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, NCI, Bethesda, Md. "With
limited awareness about HPV among women in this country, there is
a need for clear, consistent information about HPV transmission,
prevention, detection and the link to cervical cancer. We expect
that media coverage over the past year and direct-to-consumer marketing
efforts by the makers of the HPV DNA test and the HPV vaccine will
increase awareness, and NCI is conducting studies to monitor this
possible increase. We plan to track the diffusion of knowledge to
make sure that all women have accurate knowledge about HPV and how
to prevent cervical cancer."
The Effects of Information Framing on Intentions to Vaccinate Against
HPV
The success of the HPV vaccine depends largely on the public's
willingness to accept vaccination. Because of the potentially controversial
nature of the vaccine, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's
EPIC Center of Excellence in Cancer Communication Research assessed
how its portrayal in the media would affect attitudes toward vaccination
among women.
The study was a part of the Annenberg National Health Communication
Survey, a monthly barometer of the public's health communication
practices and needs. The survey is jointly funded by the National
Cancer Institute, the Annenberg School for Communication and the
Sunnylands Trust at Annenberg. It was fielded in June, 2006, roughly
coinciding with FDA approval of the vaccine.
A nationally representative sample of U.S. adults over 18 was randomly
assigned to read one of three paragraphs about the vaccine, each
emphasizing a different point of view: the vaccine protects against
cervical cancer; the vaccine protects against cervical cancer and
sexually transmitted infections; or, the vaccine protects against
cervical cancer, sexually transmitted infections and may or may
not lead to increased sexual promiscuity among those vaccinated.
The survey was then given to gauge intentions toward vaccination.
It was completed by 635 adults, 49 percent of whom were women.
Researchers found:
* More than half of respondents (56 percent) had heard of HPV and
reported that they had seen or heard news or ads about HPV in the
past week;
* Although 42 percent of respondents had heard about a vaccine
for HPV, 80 percent indicated never having talked to a health care
provider about the virus.
How the vaccine was presented greatly affected women's intentions
to vaccinate. When women read that the vaccine protects only against
cervical cancer, 63 percent indicated they were "very likely"
or "somewhat likely" to get vaccinated, compared to 43
percent of women who read that the vaccine protects against cervical
cancer and a sexually transmitted infection.
"Despite high levels of exposure to and awareness of the newly
approved HPV vaccine, intentions to vaccinate are mixed," said
Amy Leader, MPH, Research Director, EPIC Center of Excellence in
Cancer Communication Research. "Trends indicate that intentions
are highest when the vaccine is framed to solely prevent cervical
cancer and lowest when the vaccine is framed to prevent both cervical
cancer and a sexually transmitted infection, or STI, indicating
that people may feel the need for an STI vaccine is unnecessary."
Participants were also asked about their intentions to vaccinate
if they had to pay for the vaccine or if the vaccine were provided
at little or no cost. Although the majority reported having some
form of health insurance coverage, intentions to vaccinate one's
self or a daughter were substantially higher when the vaccine was
available at little or no cost. For example, 54 percent of parents
indicated that they were "very likely" or "somewhat
likely" to want the vaccine for their daughter if it were provided
at little or no cost, compared to 38 percent of parents who would
consider the vaccine for their daughter if it would cost their family.
###
The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is
to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, AACR is the world's
oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing
cancer research. The membership includes more than 24,000 basic,
translational, and clinical researchers; health care professionals;
and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and more
than 70 other countries. AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise
from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention,
diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific
and educational programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research
grants. The AACR Annual Meeting attracts over 17,000 participants
who share the latest discoveries and developments in the field.
Special Conferences throughout the year present novel data across
a wide variety of topics in cancer research, diagnosis and treatment.
AACR publishes five major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Research;
Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular
Cancer Research; and Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
Its most recent publication, CR, is a magazine for cancer survivors,
patient advocates, their families, physicians, and scientists. It
provides a forum for sharing essential, evidence-based information
and perspectives on progress in cancer research, survivorship and
advocacy.
Contact: Warren Froelich
American Association for Cancer Research
|
