Chapter 17

Future Prospects in HPV Prevention and Treatment

Azam Bolhassani

Abstract

All countries are encouraged to introduce routine HPV vaccination into their health programs. A range of screening and treatment protocols prevent cervical cancer in women already infected with HPV. The clinical trials indicated that HPV-based screening in women above the age of 30 is the most effective option. The main problems are that the licensed HPV vaccines are too expensive for universal use and they are not targeted against all HPV genotypes. Thus, the future generation of preventive vaccines must address two main issues such as lowering the cost of the vaccine for developing countries, and increasing the number of HPV types covered in order to maximize protection against HPV-associated malignancies. Moreover, several factors demonstrate the need for a therapeutic vaccine rather than preventive vaccine. The most critical of these factors is the high prevalence of existing HPV infection worldwide. In this chapter, future prospects of preventive and therapeutic vaccines will be discussed. Among these methods, combined therapy is of interest for improvement of these vaccines.

Total Pages: 220-226 (7)

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