[palmer]

Yes, but the key is getting women checked for it in the early stages. Many women don't know they're infected, and may not go in for check-ups. Again, I'm not willing to write those women off, either. Additionally, prevention is better than having to have a procedure done, and some procedures can damage fertility.

You may well be writing them off. More women may not go in for checkups because they assume the vaccine is protecting them.

Even though HPV is considered a cause of cervical cancer, only one out of 1,000 women with HPV develops invasive cervical cancer ( http://www.plannedparenthood.org/pp2/portal/files/portal/medicalinfo/sti/fact-HPV-virus.xml)

It seems to me you are killing a virus that doesn't do anything except create pre-cancer or other benign cancers. Will those women assume they are protected from cancer and stop having pap smears? Then it seems you are writing them off.

[retMD]

It seems to me you are killing a virus that doesn't do anything except create pre-cancer or other benign cancers.

There are no benign cancers, cancer is by definition malignant.

I just can't buy the argument that one should forgo an efficacious vaccine out of fear that women who are vaccinated won't go to the doctor for check ups. As well worry that people with tetanus immunizations won't go to the doctor for wound care (and many don't) and therefore we shouldn't give tetanus vaccinations.