this time ~ this space

(iVillage Total Health) - Women and girls hoping to reduce their risk of cervical cancer may soon have another option for protecting themselves. A second vaccine is showing promising results in preliminary clinical trials underway in nearly 20,000 people worldwide.

If approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the new vaccine—called Cervarix—would join the Gardasil vaccine in the fight against cervical cancer. The disease is caused by abnormal, malignant cell growth on the cervix triggered by exposure to the human papillomavirus (HPV). The FDA approval process may last into 2008 for Cervarix.

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), an estimated 11,150 new cases of invasive cancer of the cervix will be diagnosed in the United States in 2007 and approximately 3,670 women are likely to die from the disease this year.

The ACS recommends routine HPV vaccinations for girls 11 and 12 years old to protect them against HPV infection before they become sexually active. The approved Gardasil vaccine can be given to girls as young as 9 years old and approved is for women up to 26 years of age. According to the ACS, there is currently not enough evidence to recommend universal vaccination of women 19 to 26. The shots are not recommended for women over 26 or males. Source