| WEDNESDAY, May 9 (HealthDay News) -- Expanded findings from trials that led to U.S. approval of the cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil find it extremely effective in preventing precancerous lesions of the cervix.
The vaccine prevents infection with four strains of the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus (HPV), the leading cause of cervical cancer.
In two studies involving nearly 18,000 girls and women, Gardasil proved almost 100 percent effective in preventing precancerous cervical lesions linked to those strains.
The new studies also found that Gardasil is much more effective when given to girls or women before they become sexually active -- bolstering current recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that 11- and 12-year-old girls should routinely receive the vaccine as part of school vaccination efforts. | 