Current Status of Human Papillomavirus Vaccines (original) (raw)

2010, Journal of the Formosan Medical Association

Cervical cancer is the second most prevalent cancer among women, accounting for 500,000 cases per year [1]. There have been continuous efforts to determine the causes of the onset of cervical cancer. Since 1977, when Zur Hausen [2] discovered that the infection of human papillomavirus (HPV) is the major causative agent of cervical cancer, various research has been conducted and is in progress. As a result, it has been determined that the relationship between cervical cancer and the HPV infection is higher than the relationship between lung cancer and smoking, and also higher than the relationship between liver cancer and the hepatitis B virus [3]. Globally, approximately 100 different types of HPV have been reported; types 16 and 18 have caused 70% of cervical cancer onsets worldwide [4-8]. A new vaccine was developed using the non-infective recombinant virus like particle (VLP) for the antigen of the vaccine. In 1991, Zhou et al. [9] developed VLP technology, which was the crucial opportunity to develop the cervical cancer vaccine. Seventy-two of the capsomers, each comprising five L1 proteins, are assembled into a VLP, and such VLP exhibits a virus-like structure; therefore, it has higher antigenicity while being safe due to the absence of foreign DNA [10]. Currently, there are two cervical cancer vaccines used glo bally on the market: quad