It's The First Ever
Method That Can
Prevent A Cancer
By Larry Fox
The actuality, as of today, is minimal. The implications both social and medical are huge.
And so is the furor surrounding the new vaccine developed to protect against the Human Papillomavirus Virus (HPV), which can cause cervical cancer through sexual contact. Much of the controversy surrounds a recommendation by a committee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that the vaccine routinely be given to girls 11 or 12 years old, and even as young as nine.
Votes on whether the vaccine should be mandatory or merely just made available to young girls have been held or scheduled in Texas, New Mexico, Virginia and Wyoming.
This latest medical hot topic was discussed in detail at the most recent meeting of the Advisory Board of To Your Good Health, A Health Care Newsletter, at the Four Points by Sheraton Hyannis Resort.
At this time, Senator Rob O'Leary (D-Cummaquid) disclosed that this soon will become a major issue in the Commonwealth since an HPV vaccination bill already has been filed by Senator Richard T. Moore (D-Worcester) with action expected before summer.
Three basic points emerged during the discussion:
Dr. Herbert O. Mathewson, a pediatrician and medical director of the VNA of Cape Cod, provided much of the medical perspective for TYGH board members.
"Scientists and medical people are very excited (about the development) because it is the first vaccine that is directed specifically at a cause of cancer. It is a medical breakthrough, no doubt about it," he said.
"However," he continued, "It takes eight to 12 years for pre-cancerous lesions to become cervical cancer and this study only has a four-year history. If you read very carefully, they really don't quite say that this prevents cervical cancer, only that it has prevented the appearance of these pre-cancerous parts."
Dr. Mathewson points out that with "at least 40 identifiable types of the virus, plus 15 subtypes, there are close to 100 forms of this virus." The new vaccine has been shown to address only two types of the virus, but these apparently cause 70 percent of the cancers.
Regular Pap smears continue to be recommended even for women who have been vaccinated, Dr. Mathewson said.
Dr. Mathewson and Dr. Arthur Bickford both questioned the number of people [yes, men also can be infected] who would be helped by the vaccine. "The number of new cases of cervical cancer each year is 11,000 and the number of deaths is about 3,500, only one percent of all cancer deaths," Dr. Mathewson said. "It's treatable and not a really scary disease…unless you don't get a regular Pap smear."
"Look at the bottom line," Dr. Bickford interjected. "There's been $200 million spent on this (vaccine) while we still have other public health issues that are a danger to our society that need to be addressed. Like smoking, where the government has cut the budget from $50 million to one! I'd rather see the money spent there."
Expense for the new vaccine is a factor. It takes three doses over an eight-month period at a total cost of about $500.
The physicians also pointed out that the vaccine does no good once a person has been infected, that the number of partners is not an issue except as promiscuity would increase the odds of exposure and, since we're dealing with a virus, so-called "safe sex" condoms offer no protection.
"Well, I propose spending the money on burkas and single sex schools," Rosemary Dillon, R.N., MS, director of Allied Health and Gerontology at Cape Cod Community College, said, explaining, "I throw that out kidding, but we should be taking more responsibility for our children and what they're doing instead of throwing condoms at them."
There were other questions raised on the board.
"What's the role of the pharmaceutical industry in pushing for mandatory vaccinations in Texas?" asked Gary Sheehan, President/CEO of Cape Medical Supply.
"What about potential side effects 30 years down the line? That's kind of scary at this point," noted Denise Dever, President of Home Instead.
However, while expressing some concerns, Diane Kolb, President of the VNA of Cape Cod, said her organization already is beginning to study how to create a program to make the vaccine available to local young people, whether eventual legislation makes the vaccine mandatory or not.
And if the legislation does involve schools, Monica Mullin of new Senate President Therese Murray's office, questioned how the Cape's notoriously independent school districts would react. "Every town has a school board and they don't appreciate being dictated to," she said.