HPV Vaccines: Myths and Facts

Many types of HPV virus found in nature are known to cause anogenital diseases and cancers in both of men and women. Genital condylomas caused by some types of HPV can cause important dermocosmetic, social, and psychological problems. On the other hand, cervical cancers caused by high-risk HPV types can be detected and treated in early stage or preinvasive period by using effective screening programs. But the main goal is to fight with the viruses causing the disease. Therefore, protective and preventive HPV virus vaccines are important. However, for effective administration of vaccines, it is necessary to know the effects of the vaccines, to whom it is applicable, any adverse effects, and to overcome prejudices against the vaccines and to clarify misinformation. In this chapter, in the light of current information about HPV vaccines, known facts and myths about vaccines are shared

Comparison of stage III mucinous and serous ovarian cancer: a case-control study

Background: The purpose of this case-control study was to compare the prognoses of women with stage III mucinous ovarian carcinoma (MOC) who received maximal or optimal cytoreduction followed by paclitaxel plus carboplatin chemotherapy to those of women with stage III serous epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) treated in the similar manner. Methods: We performed a multicenter, retrospective review to identify patients with stage III MOC at seven gynecologic oncology departments in Turkey. Eighty-one women with MOC were included. Each case was matched to two women with stage III serous EOC in terms of age, tumor grade, substage of disease, and extent of residual disease. Survival estimates were measured using Kaplan-Meier plots. Variables predictive of outcome were analyzed using Cox regression models. Results: With a median follow-up of 54months, the median progression-free survival (PFS) for women with stage III MOC was 18.0months (95% CI; 13.8-22.1, SE: 2.13) compared to 29.0 months (95% CI; 24.04-33.95, SE: 2.52) in the serous group (p = 0.19). The 5-year overall survival rate of the MOC group was significantly lower than that of the serous EOC group (44.9% vs. 66.3%, respectively; p < 0.001). For the entire cohort, presence of multiple peritoneal implants (Hazard ratio [HR] 2.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.38-4.14, p = 0.002) and mucinous histology (HR 2.28; 95% CI, 1.53-3.40, p < 0.001) were identified as independent predictors of decreased OS. Conclusion: Patients with MOC seem to be 2.3 times more likely to die of their tumors when compared to women with serous EOC