Below is a summary of a broadcast that was on NBC news. Do you know if this potential vaccine against the HPV virus would have any effect on those of us that already have HPV and are concerned that it may cause us cancer somewhere down the road??

Feb. 20 Scientists have created a potential vaccine against a virus that causes cervical cancer, according to a new report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. But until the experimental vaccine becomes a reality, a widely available virus test is highly effective at telling which women with inconclusive Pap smears need further cancer exams, another study in the journal finds.

I do indeed believe that an HPV vaccine will help patients like yourself who already have HPV and are concerned about cancer down the road. Many patients are under the INCORRECT impression that vaccines are good only for people without infection. A vaccine boosts the body own immune mechanism; depending on the vaccine, this helps those who are already infected and those who are not yet infected. Currently the HPV vaccines are in early trials. Only time (and hopefully it won't be too too long) will tell what the final version of the HPV vaccine will look like, how often it will need to be administered, and so on.