Federal advisers back cervical cancer vaccine

Cancer is a debilitating physical illness, but it also has a devastating impact on a person’s emotional health and well-being. Among women with cancer, cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer. If a woman gets this diagnosis, it can be the worst day of her life.

New hope comes to women in the form of a vaccine that appears to prevent this form of cancer in most women.

Merck’s vaccine can prevent 100 percent of infections for the two strains of human papillomavirus that later cause 70 percent of cervical cancers for women inoculated before they begin having sex. It is much less effective for women already infected with the virus.

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 19 May 2006
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.