Jan. 12, 2016
A vaccination during
adolescence can prevent cancer later in life. During Cervical Cancer Awareness
Month in January, Texas physicians want to encourage parents to get their
adolescents vaccinated against human
papillomavirus (HPV), the cause of almost all cervical cancers. Even unvaccinated older
teens and young adults can benefit.
In 2016, more than 1,000 Texas
women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer, and nearly 400 will die from the
deadly disease, according to the Texas Cancer Registry. Sadly, Texas’ HPV
vaccination rates are low: In 2014, only half (50.7 percent) of the state’s 13-
to 17-year-old girls and a third of boys the same age (36.6 percent) had
received one or more of the three recommended doses of HPV vaccine.
“When
I have to tell one of my patients she has cervical cancer, I wish I could turn back
the clock to encourage her to get vaccinated against HPV,” said obstetrician/ gynecologist
Kimberly Carter, MD, of Austin. “That simple step of getting vaccinated can
reduce the risk of a potentially life-threatening illness and a lot of medical
testing, treatment, and emotional distress,” said Dr. Carter, who is a member
of the Texas Medical
Association’s (TMA’s) Be Wise — ImmunizeSM Physician Advisory Panel.
Besides
causing cervical cancer, which affects women, HPV also can cause other
increasingly common cancers that affect both women and men, including oropharyngeal
cancer (affecting the throat and tonsils), anal cancer, and more. And HPV can
cause genital warts.
HPV is
the most common infection spread through intimate or sexual contact in the
United States. The American
Cancer Society says HPV can be passed from person to person during sex, as well
as through skin-to-skin contact with an infected area of the body, such as hand-to-genital
contact.
Almost all (80 percent) of
sexually active people will have the virus sometime in their life. Most people
with HPV won’t notice any problems, but some may develop symptoms years later.
When HPV infections persist, they can lead to genital warts or cancer.
Like
any shot, the HPV vaccine is most effective before the person is exposed to the
virus. That is one reason doctors want young people to get the HPV vaccination —
before exposure. Young girls and boys under age 14 benefit most from the shots
because their bodies fight HPV best at that age. However, the vaccine can help
even after the person becomes sexually active.
The HPV
vaccination (three shots given over six months) is primarily recommended for
11- and 12-year-old girls, though girls as young as 9 years old and females up
through age 26 can be vaccinated. Boys should get the shots, too: Doctors recommend
11- and 12-year-old boys get the vaccine, though males 9 through 21 years of
age, even as old as age 26, might benefit.
Three
HPV vaccinations are available, and all are safe and effective, said Dr.
Carter. Two of the vaccines protect against genital warts. The newest HPV
vaccine, HPV9, gives the most protection — against nine strains of HPV. Dr.
Carter suggests patients talk with their doctor about which vaccination is best.
“If
more people got the HPV vaccine, we could reduce the number of infections and
ultimately reduce the risk of cervical cancer by two-thirds,” said Dr. Carter,
who also is president of the Texas
Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
TMA
published an infographic and a fact
sheet about the importance of HPV vaccination, in
English and Spanish.
TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation, representing
more than 48,000 physician and medical student members. It is located in Austin
and has 110 component county medical societies around the state. TMA’s key
objective since 1853 is to improve the health of all Texans.
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Be Wise — Immunize is a service mark of
the Texas Medical Association.
Contact: Brent Annear (512) 370-1381; cell: (512) 656-7320; email: brent.annear[at]texmed[dot]org
Marcus Cooper (512) 370-1382; cell: (512)
650-5336; email: marcus.cooper[at]texmed[dot]org
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