An experimental vaccine gives long-term protection against cervical cancer, dubbed a "silent killer" for its stealthy assault on women, according to a study published yesterday by The Lancet.

The trial formula, Cervarix, is designed to prime the immune system against the 16 and 18 strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which together account for more than two-thirds of cervical cancer cases.

A trial of Cervarix in 2004 found that the vaccine was effective in the short term, and 800 women who took part in it were monitored to see how it performed over a longer period, bringing the surveillance period to up to four-and-a-half years.

The researchers say they found reassuringly high levels of antibodies the key marker of a primed immune system for both HPV-16 and HPV-18.

Cervarix is made by the British firm GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), which has already announced its plans to seek approval for licensing the drug in the United States and European Union (EU).

Cancer of the cervix, the lower part of the uterus that lies at the top of the vagina, accounts for nearly a quarter of a million deaths every year, making it the second most lethal cancer for women after breast cancer, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Source:China Daily