Overview of the Efficacy of Human Papillomavirus Virus Vaccines

ABSTRACT

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the main cause of cervical cancer and major viruses related to carcinogenesis in various malignant diseases such as cervical cancer, vaginal cancer, vulvar cancer, anal cancer, and head and neck cancer. Cervical cancer is the second most prevalent female cancer in the world and the fourth in Korea. Prophylactic HPV vaccines in widespread use include the used in South Korea to prevent cervical cancer are bivalent (2-valent HPV vaccine; Cervarix), quadrivalent (4-valent HPV vaccine; Gardasil), and nonavalent (9-valent HPV vaccine; Gardasil9). Since HPV vaccines the first approval in 2006, 115 countries have include HPV vaccines in their national immunization programs, that its preventive effect is as much as 70%, and that the incidence of high-risk types of HPV has gradually decreased. According to HPV cohort studies in Korea, about 26% of adult women have an HPV vaccination history and show a low incidence of HPV-16/18 genotypes compared to unvaccinated women. In the countries that National Immunization Programs for HPV vaccine were conducted earlier than in Korea, the safety, efficacy, and effectiveness of HPV vaccines have been reported. Therefore, it is considered that basic research including an analysis of the effectiveness of HPV vaccines for policy decisions related to the expanding the HPV vaccine coverage and introducing of new vaccine in the future.