Fighting Warts with Wart Vaccine

Repeat vaccinations appeared to provide effective treatment of early vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia with small lesions.

Infection with oncogenic strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) causes vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) and invasive genital squamous cell carcinomas. Although spontaneous resolution of VIN sometimes happens (<1.5% of patients), this neoplasia frequently recurs, even after aggressive surgical and medical treatments. Most patients with spontaneous VIN resolution show evidence of a response characterized by CD8⁺ cytotoxic T-lymphocytes with specificity against the E6 protein of HPV strain 16.

A group of 20 women with HPV16⁺VIN received three or four doses of an HPV-16 vaccine containing the entire sequence of HPV E6 and E7 proteins. Lesions resolved completely in 10 of these women. Immunomonitoring showed broad and durable in vitro T-cell…

Reviewing Author

Mark V. Dahl, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory board Ulthera, Inc.; AuBio LifeSciences, LLC; Paris Therapeutics

Equity Elorac, Inc.; Makucell, Inc.; Paris Therapeutics

Editorial boards UpToDate

Leadership positions in professional societiesNational Rosacea Society (Chairman, Medical Board)