Human papillomavirus vaccine: the beginning of the end for cervical cancer.

The human papillomavirus family of viruses causes a variety of benign, premalignant and malignant lesions in men and women. All cervical cancers are caused by HPV. It is the leading cause of death from cancer in women in developing countries; every year some 493,000 women develop cervical cancer and 230,000 die every year from this disease. The vaccine against HPV includes virus-like particles, composed of the major viral capsid protein of HPV without the carcinogenic genetic core. Large-scale studies have shown that the vaccine is tolerated well, leads to high antibody levels in both men and women, and prevents chronic HPV infection and its associated diseases. To achieve effective coverage the vaccine should be given prior to sexual debut. Introduction of the vaccine into specific countries, particularly Israel, should take into account the local incidence of cervical cancer as well as the increasing incidence of precancerous cervical lesions and genital warts, which reduce quality of life and are associated with considerable costs.