Can the HPV Vaccine be used to Treat Cervical Cancer?

We are familiar with HPV vaccination as a strategy for preventing cervical cancer. Can it also be used to treat it?  A study in the Lancet  randomises 209 patients 3:1 to an intramuscular HPV-16 and HPV-18 plasmid vaccine or placebo. At 36 weeks, cervical histopathological regression was seen in 48.2% of the vaccine group vs 30.0% in the placebo group, and HPV DNA became undetectable in 40% of vaccine recipients vs ~10% of those receiving placebo. Obviously, this is less effective than surgery, but  an accompanying Comment  thinks it may be worth trying in selected cases before resorting to more destructive approaches.

On Medica, September 25, 2015

"There haven't been many surveys of LGBT people over time where we can kind of assess how some of the perceptions that exist now might have different 20 years ago, or even 10 years ago," says Gary Gates, the research director and Williams Distinguished Scholar at the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. "It's only very recently that people believe that you can do a representative sample of LGBT people anyway. For a long time, survey people and polling organizations actually didn't believe that was possible, because they didn't know what the characteristics of an LGBT population were to determine whether the sample they got was appropriate or not."

Washington Post, September 23, 2015

Too often, it seems, we take the focus off the men who have committed these violent acts by focusing on the side story - or, more tragically, by blaming the victim. Instead, let's ask the tough question that sits at the heart of this issue: How can we get boys and men to stop hurting themselves and others at such alarming rates?

Bangor Daily News, September 23, 2015

With all the scrutiny on charity fundraising at the moment, many charities need to regain the trust of the public. But this is even more of an uphill struggle for charities that need to educate people first before they can ask for donations.

MyDonate spoke to the HPV and Anal Cancer Foundation to understand how a charity that deals with a taboo or social stigma can simply and effectively raise funds and awareness.

Third Sector UK, September 22, 2015

First Therapeutic Vaccine Against HPV Shows Promise

An investigational vaccine has shown activity as a therapeutic treatment for high-grade precancerous cervical lesions caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). The vaccine, VGX-3100, is the first therapeutic vaccine to show efficacy for such lesions. The results of the phase IIb placebo-controlled study is published in the Lancet. 

Cancer Network, September 22, 2015

In a small town in the Dominican Republic, some boys are born looking like girls and when they hit puberty their penis grows.  This extraordinary occurrence in the isolated village of Salinas, in the southwestern part of the Caribbean island, is highlighted in a new   BBC Two series called "Countdown to Life - the extraordinary making of you."

Fox Latino, September 22, 2015

 

Concerned that they aren't reaching enough young men, college counseling centers are making extra efforts to draw them in.  The centers, which usually offer support groups and one-on-one therapy for struggling students, have faced growing demand for their services in recent years. Still, men make up only 33.9 percent of clients, according to the latest annual survey by the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors. Men represented 43.8 percent of the student population at the schools surveyed.

Wall Street Journal, September 22, 2015

Vaccines are the most effective way to prevent infectious diseases. Gov. Jerry Brown rightly signed a law that requires, starting July 1, 2016, that all children enrolled in public or private schools or day care be vaccinated against whooping cough, measles, polio and other diseases, regardless of parents' religious or personal beliefs.  But frustratingly, the California mandate does not include the vaccine to protect against cervical, anal and oral cancers, and genital warts.

Sacramento Bee, September 22, 2015

Whereas anorexics think they are too fat when they are actually too thin, bigorexics think they look puny when, in fact, they are muscular.  It is now believed that a tenth of men in British gyms suffer from the condition,   a BBC Newsbeat investigation found .

Daily Mail, September 21, 2015

The gender care center takes Duke specialists like Routh who might have treated some aspect of sex development and gender care and puts them under one roof, where they can work together as a team. Routh performs surgery for sexual disorders such as ambiguous genitalia as early as infancy, but transgender years old, Adkins said.

Charlotte Observer, September 21, 2015

Editorial: The real vaccine risk

Maybe it's time for political parties to require a science course for anyone who wants their nomination. Misinformation about vaccines has become a stubborn, recurring feature of presidential campaigns.

Chicago Tribune, September 21, 2015

SAHM Releases THRIVE App for Adolescents

The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine has announce a brand new app designed to empower parents to begin a dialogue with their teen or young adult on important health topics, and help manage their own health. Available on Apple and Android products, the THRIVE app can be downloaded for FREE.  The app features an extensive library of teen health and wellness topics relevant to this transformative and often complex stage of life to help parents have important discussions with their teens and young adults. It also provides parents with conversation starters for difficult or sensitive topics; health exams and preventive health information, including vaccinations and well-visits; risk-oriented behavior, such as drinking, smoking or sexual health; social media and more.

SAHM, September 1, 2015

The Weekly News Roundup is produced by The Partnership for Male Youth and is released every Monday. 

For more information contact Dennis J. Barbour, JD. News Roundup editor and President/CEO of the Partnership, at dbarbour@partnershipformaleyouth.org.

The  Partnership for Male Youth is a collaboration among 23 national organizations and representation from six federal agencies. It is led by a multidisciplinary and multispecialty steering committee and advisory council. The Partnerships's flagship effort, released in January 2014, is  The Health Provider Toolkit for Adolescent and Young Adult Males.