Papillomavirus-like particle vaccines for cervical cancer.

Most cervical cancers are now known to be caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. This provides an opportunity to prevent a major cause of cancer deaths in women through vaccination. Subunit vaccines based upon non-infectious papillomavirus-like particles (VLPs) are attractive candidates to prevent infection by oncogenic HPVs, and clinical trials are now underway. In addition, the strongly immunogenic characteristics of VLPs raise the possibility that they could also serve as vehicles for inducing therapeutic responses against HPV-induced neoplasia and other diseases.