Prophylactic human papillomavirus vaccines: will they do their job?

Stanley M (University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK). Prophylactic HPV vaccines: will they do their job? (Foresight). J Intern Med 2010; 267: 251–259 The prophylactic HPV L1 virus like particle vaccines are highly efficacious preventing >98% of HPV 16/18 caused high grade cervical intra‐epithelial neoplasia (CIN2/3) according to protocol group in phase III randomized clinical trials over approximately 4 years. Data from the trials together with postvaccine surveillance indicates that they have a good safety profile. As the current HPV vaccines include only two of the 15 oncogenic HPVs, they will not eliminate cervical cancer or the other HPV associated ano‐genital diseases but could reduce, for example, the incidence of cervix cancer by up to 70–80%, if effectively delivered to adolescent females.