Doctorcall leads the way in preventative medicine with the use of revolutionary Anti-Cervical Cancer drug Gardasil
Gardasil, the only vaccine available that may help guard against cervical cancer, is currently causing a revolution in the medical world. The vaccine is licensed for girls and young women between the ages of nine and twenty six and boys from nine to fifteen.
We know that there is a very definite link between human papilloma virus (also known as “wart virus” or HPV) and the slow development of cervical precancers and cancers. It is also the cause of unsightly genital warts.
It is an extremely common infection that is transmitted by having sex and approximately 70% of infections are found in the 15 to 24 year old age group. We have a very effective screening programme of cervical smear testing but it is not 100% effective. There will always be both false negatives and positives. It is therefore very exciting that there is now a way to further reduce the chances of developing what is the second most common cancer in women under 35.
Gardasil works by immunising against certain types of HPV or human papilloma virus.
HPV has about 100 types. Most of the types are harmless. However there are four types which are more problematic. Types 16 and 18 are the cause of 70% of cervical cancers and types 6 and 8 cause 90% of unsightly genital warts. It is these four types against which Gardasil is active. The vaccine is recommended for those who are not yet sexually active but also felt to be very beneficial to those who may already have become infected. This is because it is unlikely that they will have been infected by all the four mentioned strains.
Currently Gardasil is unavailable on the NHS. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) are deciding on whether a vaccination programme should be established. In the meantime more and more of our young people are becoming infected. This is why Doctorcall - the largest primary health care clinic outside the NHS based in St Ann’s Square, Manchester – is offering patients access to this important drug.
The vaccine has been available in the USA since 2005 where it is estimated that there are 6 million new cases each year.
Dr Cath White GP at Doctorcall says,
“It is wonderful to be able to offer the vaccine now and start the reduction in numbers of those who may potentially develop cervical precancers and then cancer. It will also dramatically reduce the inevitable psychological upset that can often come from having had an abnormal smear, and the subsequent need for colposcopy.
“It is however still extremely important to educate young people to practice safe sex and for women to participate in the usual cervical screening programme which is hugely effective”