HPI vaccines

I think that’s the same for many of us. Thank goodness all schoolchildren have it now.

The HPV vaccine, first of 2 doses, is given to pre-teens (12-13 yrs old) I think because of the better immune response, it was given to girls only to begin with help protect against cervical cancers but with the increased rise of rarer cancers such as anal cancer which affects both men & women then it was rolled out to include boys also. I think I’m correct in saying that the vaccine isn’t offered to anyone past their late 20’s as after that age the chances are that we will have already have been exposed to the strains of HPV that can go on to cause these cancers & it wouldn’t be of any use as it’s then down to our body's immune system as to whether it can clear the HPV or not, the vaccine wouldn’t help this. 

I completely understand how you’re feeling, I think we’ve all had those feelings especially when first diagnosed but as the mother of 2 daughters (one that fell into the age range that had the vaccine, one that just missed out on it) I too am thankful that today our sons & daughters are a little better protected. 

Nicola 

Hi yes I did think the same. It should be more widely publicised along with other cancers. Good luck!

I am on a different forum and one person on there said she refused the HPI vaccine for her children as it was new and unproven - I should add she wasn't anti-vaccine, she just felt there hadn't been enough research done.  But take a walk in our shoes...

I do feel sad when I read things like this. The whole point in getting the vaccine as a youngster is to get it before exposure to the virus- although some will have been already exposed, the majority won’t.  But I read other forums too, and there are often women speaking as if the vaccine is the holy grail and it unfortunately isn’t. It only covers a certain number of hpv strains, and it doesn’t always work for everyone. I know of women who had it as a youngster and still got hpv related cervical cancer for example. 

I understand it’s available for the under 25s only but you can get it privately when you’re older in the UK-it’s quite expensive, but you can have it if you pay-I think it’s 3 doses for this. I’ve also seen a number of women recommended to have the vaccine after a cancer diagnosis as it is thought this might still be beneficial. 

I’m the mother of 2 daughters, one who had the vaccine at school and one who missed out. Both are now old enough for smear tests, and the vaccinated daughter is fine, while my other daughter does have hpv and is being closely monitored as she has had abnormal cells. Anything that helps protect our children has got to be a good thing, and there is not nearly enough education around a virus which can cause such damage. I’m certainly glad it is now widely available for youngsters. 

Sarah xx

I am really sorry that one of your daughters missed out, but it is a good thing that she is being closely monitored.  I had abnormal cervix cells after my second daughter was born and had a conical biopsy and that was that.  Nothing else and not further checks.

I am really pleased it is available too.

Irene x

Hi!  I read that the CDC in the U.S. that people ages 27-45 might decide to get one based on a discussion with their physician, if they did not get adequately vaccinated when they were younger.  On Memorial SloanKettering Cancer Center's website, they are even suggesting over 45 is being considered as we are living longer and if you have one strain, getting vaccinated could protect against other strains.  Insurance in the U.S. won't pay for the $600 Gardasil 9 three shot series but it is approved by the FDA.  For anyone dating after treatment, I think it would be worth exploring. I'm not sure what the U.K. guidelines are.  I'm 53 and while still happily married but if I could prevent my 73 year old self from a secondary HPV related cancer, I would!!!  Hopefully, there will be more research coming.  

Very interesting topic!  I, too, just missed the age range cut-off when Gardasil was first rolled-out in the U.S.  I’ve never had an abnormal pap, and my husband and I are monogamous (14+ years of marriage), so I never thought much of trying to get the vaccine…until cancer!  When I asked my team about it, they said it might not help with the strain of HPV that caused cancer, but could help if I were ever exposed to another strain.  Furthermore, my radiation oncologist, roughly my age, also monogamous and married, said she decided to get it, herself, just a couple of years ago.  She said she sees enough cancer to know she wanted the extra protection.

She mentioned that there are emerging studies which indicate that for people who’ve had an HPV related cancer, the vaccine might confer some protection against recurrence or developing a different HOV related cancer.  She emphasized that these are very new studies…it takes time to collect data on people over the course of several years, but the early results look promising.  I’m not a physician or researcher, but this made sense to me, so I started digging for some reputable information about the topic.  I found some of the research studies, and none seemed to indicate that it would be harmful to have the vaccine at this point.  I made the choice to be vaccinated.  

I had my first dose on March 15, second will be April 13.  Third dose will be in September.  I didn’t pay a thing, not even a copay, so I assume my private insurance does pay for it.  I had a very sore arm for the evening, and otherwise no side effects.

As with anything for those of us in treatment and recovery, it’s worth asking your medical team about!  Everyone’s case is different, and there’s a lot of information to be discussed, especially with this vaccine, for which recommendations and guidelines have changed over the course of decades.

Best wishes!

Red