| Researchers at the University of New South Wales | | | | lead to further large-scale studies being conducted. |
| (UNSW) in Australia have discovered that the HPV | | | | UNSW researcher Dr Noel Whitaker, a co-author of |
| vaccine may be effective in preventing breast | | | | the new report, commented: "The finding that |
| cancer, which affects over a million women a year | | | | high-risk HPV is present in a significant number of |
| worldwide. | | | | breast cancers indicates they may have a causal role |
| In a new article published in the British Journal of | | | | in many breast cancers. |
| Cancer, the experts reveal that they conducted | | | | "Confirming a cancer-causing role for HPV in some |
| studies of breast cells and found that there were | | | | breast cancers establishes the possibility of |
| several strains of HPV present which are known to | | | | preventing some breast cancers by vaccination |
| have a high risk of initiating cancer of the cervix. | | | | against HPV." |
| A team from UNSW School of Biotechnology and | | | | The new link may also help to clear up confusion |
| Biomolecular Sciences, led by visiting professor James | | | | about the role which HPV plays in the development |
| Lawson, declared that there was a presence of | | | | of breast cancer. |
| high-risk HPV in the nuclei of breast cancer epithelial | | | | In order to establish a more accurate result, the |
| cells in 21 per cent of 14 invasive ductal carcinoma | | | | healthcare specialists used a technique that avoids |
| (IDC) breast cancer specimens. | | | | cross-contamination which may have affected |
| IDCs are invasive cancers responsible for up to 80 | | | | outcomes and announced that they are working on a |
| per cent of all breast cancers and professor Lawson | | | | new simpler method which will provide faster results. |
| told cancer insurance customers that the results may | | | | |