The Use of Human Papilloma Virus Vaccine to Prevent Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is the second most frequent malignant tumor in female in the world and the most common type of cancer found in female of developing countries, including Indonesia. It has been predicted that the number of people contracted by this cancer will increase in the near future due to the changes in lifestyle such as free sexual intercourse, changing sexual partners and smoking habit. Another factor that will lead to this situation is the low standard of living which leads to unhygienic lifestyle. It is difficult to carry out periodic check up to detect this cancer early in the developing countries like Indonesia as there is limited access to health center that is well equipped to carry out diagnostic tests. Furthermore, the high cost of the Pap test and the need of frequent visit to the health centers often discouraged someone to take the test. A preventive measure, one of which is HPV vaccination can be used to prevent cervical cancer. Many studies have proven that the use of monovalent, recombinant bivalent, and recombinant quadrivalent vaccines were effective to prevent cervical cancer. However, some factors should be considered about the HPV vaccine such as, who has to be vaccinated, whether male should be vaccinated or not, the type of virus that is commonly found in a particular country, the side effects, how long will the antibody last and community acceptance.