Modern medicine has made it so that a cancer diagnosis is no longer a death sentence. For instance, survival rates of breast and ovarian cancer have risen, giving us more time to live a life with love. Oncologists are grateful for advances like mammograms to screen for breast cancer, and chemotherapy and radiation to fight the disease. Still, no one would wish a cancer diagnosis on themselves or a loved one.
“Treatment still takes a significant physical, emotional and financial toll on patients,” Dr. Gabrielle Smith, MD, a gynecologic oncologist with HonorHealth, explains to Parade. “Preventing cancer whenever possible is so important, as it can spare someone that entire experience.”
She knows we can’t control every risk factor for cancer. You may not have had control over a work environment that exposed you to toxic chemicals, for example, and you certainly didn’t willingly “sign up” to have certain genetics. Still, as a gynecologic oncologist, Dr. Smith wants people to know all of their options because she doesn’t want them to become her patients. Staying up to date or catching up with certain vaccines is one way to lower your risk of certain cancers.
“All cancers are diseases of our genes, and sometimes a virus can alter or hijack our genes, which eventually leads to cancer,” Dr. Smith says. “When we vaccinate against a known virus that can cause cancer, we have an opportunity to interrupt that process before it starts.”
Vaccines aren’t “just for kids,” and flu and COVID-19 shots aren’t the only ones available to adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s. For this reason, oncologists urge adults 45 and under to ask about one vaccine in particular, as it could protect them from several cancers.
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Oncologists Are Begging Adults 45 and Under to Ask About This Vaccine
Oncologists urge people 45 and under to get the HPV vaccine because it can protect you against six types of cancer: Cervical, oropharyngeal (throat), anal, vulvar, vaginal and penile. The HPV vaccine can stop “the underlying viral infection that causes” these cancers, says Dr. Ami Vaidya, MD, co-chief of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the Hackensack Meridian John Theurer Cancer Center.
The FDA approved the first HPV vaccine in 2006, and it targeted four variants of human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus that commonly spreads through sexual contact. In 2014, the FDA approved the Gardasil 9 HPV vaccine, which doctors still use today. Dr. Vaidya says it targets nine high-risk viral strains of HPV. Doctors recommend the HPV vaccine to all children ages 11–12 (but children can begin getting the vaccination at age nine). It’s a two-dose series for ages 9–14. However, people can receive a three-dose series up to age 45.
“The vaccine is made with the outer coating of the virus to teach your immune system to recognize the virus and create antibodies that can then destroy the virus if you are exposed to it in the future, before it causes an infection,” Dr. Smith says. “Since the vaccine does not contain any DNA from the virus, you cannot get infected with HPV from the vaccine.”
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Why Do Oncologists Recommend the HPV Vaccine to People Ages 27-45?
The recommended age for the HPV vaccine is 11-12 years, but people can receive their first dose at age 9. Doctors and medical organizations like the CDC continue to recommend the HPV vaccine for people ages 13-26 (the “catch-up” demographic). However, Dr. Vaidya encourages people to ask about the vaccine up to and including age 45, saying the vaccine remains “highly beneficial” for many people.
It provides robust protection against any of the nine high-risk viral strains a person has not yet encountered,” Dr. Vaidya says. “This is especially crucial for individuals experiencing life transitions—such as re-entering the dating pool after a breakup or divorce—which introduce new opportunities for exposure.”
She adds that natural HPV infections don’t always give you lasting immunity, so the vaccine offers a “much stronger antibody response” that can guard you against reinfection, lower your long-term health risks like throat cancer and protect future partners from transmission.
Related: ‘I Was Diagnosed With Cancer at 16 and Again at 39—These Were the Very First Symptoms I Noticed’
Dr. Vaidya says there’s no approved HPV vaccine for people ages 46 and older because many people in this age group were already exposed to the virus during sexual activity. “Immunization can only prevent new infections, not treat or clear existing ones,” she says.
Dr. Vaidya adds that HPV is a slow-acting virus and usually takes one to three decades of persistent infection to progress to cancer. “A new infection acquired later in life is much less likely to develop into cancer within a person’s natural lifespan,” she says.
But if you’re 45 and under, Drs. Vaidya and Smith agree that it’s worth asking your doctor about the HPV vaccine.
“Health experts recommend ‘shared clinical decision-making,’ meaning adults should consult with their doctor to determine if vaccination aligns with their current lifestyle and personal risk factors,” she says.
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Sources:
Dr. Ami Vaidya, MD, the co-chief of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the Hackensack Meridian John Theurer Cancer Center Dr. Gabrielle Smith, MD, a gynecologic oncologist with HonorHealth Survival Rates for Breast Cancer. American Cancer Society. Trends in Relative Survival for Ovarian Cancer From 1975 to 2011. Obstetrics Gynecology. Use of 9-Valent Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine: Updated HPV Vaccination Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. CDC. Gardasil: Introducing the new human papillomavirus vaccine. CJON. HPV Vaccine Recommendations. CDC.Hence then, the article about oncologists are begging adults 45 and under to ask about this vaccine was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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