Program Overview
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States. It is now well established that HPV causes not only the vast majority of cervical cancer and genital warts cases, but also a substantial proportion of other anogenital as well as head and neck cancers in both men and women. Advances in the understanding of the role of HPV in the etiology of cervical cancer have led to the development of 2 prophylactic HPV vaccines; both vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective for girls and young women in the prevention of precancerous and cancerous lesions of the uterine cervix in large-scale clinical trials. Additionally, recent clinical data suggest that other patient populations, such as sexually active older women and males, may benefit from HPV vaccination. Although the protective efficacy of HPV vaccination in males has not yet been fully established, the rationale for vaccinating boys at an early age is strong.
This symposium will review the health burden of HPV infection as it applies to cervical and noncervical cancers, the cytological screening guidelines and the impact of routine HPV vaccination on current practices, and recent evidence supporting an expanded role for HPV vaccination.
