The Healthcare Confidential Podcast | Episode 29 “The HPV Vaccine with Deborah Saslow, PhD”

Each year in the United States, nearly 36,000 women and men are diagnosed with cancer caused by HPV infection. Cervical cancer, penile cancer, vulvar and vaginal cancer, anal cancer, and oral pharyngeal cancer can all be prevented with the HPV vaccine.

This week, we talk about the vaccine with Debbie Saslow, Ph.D. Dr. Saslow is the Managing Director of HPV and Gynecological Cancers at the American Cancer Society.  She has served as the American Cancer Society’s lead and spokesperson for HPV-related cancers for close to 25 years. She has been the point person for the Cancer Society’s guidelines for cervical cancer screening and for HPV vaccination.  Dr. Saslow is also the Vice-Chair of the National HPV Vaccination Roundtable. She shared statistics about the vaccine’s adoption rates, the history of its development, and information on how providers can stay up-to-date on vaccine and screening guidelines.

The Take-Away: The HPV vaccine is safe and recommended for boys and girls between the ages of 9-12, although older adolescents and young adults may safely be vaccinated as well. Researchers have already observed a dramatic reduction in genital warts, which are also caused by HPV, and they expect to see equally dramatic reductions in the rates of cancers that may be prevented by the vaccine in the years and decades to come.

Learn more: Visit the American Cancer Society at www.cancer.org/hpv for more information.

Healthcare Confidential Podcast