Purpose: Young women who have already had several sexual partners are requesting the benefit of an HPV vaccination. Frequently asked questions should be answered based on up-to-date data. Methods: The results of recently published studies on HPV vaccination are presented. Results: Around 90-98% of HPV 16/18 associated high-grade intraepithelial neoplasias were prevented in women who tested negatively for HPV 16/18 at the time of first vaccination. With regard to the prevention of all high-grade intraepithelial neoplasias from any HPV type, the efficacy was between 18 and 38.2%. The vaccination is well tolerated, the rate of serious side effects being below 0.05%. There is no therapeutic effect for women already infected with HPV. A routine HPV DNA test is not recommended at present, and serological determination of HPV antibodies is not useful. Conclusion: Data from recent phase III studies demonstrate the efficacy of HPV vaccination in women of 15 to 26 years, who have already had up to 5 sexual partners.
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