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The first HPV vaccine is approved
A dated cancer milestone (2006): a vaccine that prevents infections causing several cancers. Why it mattered, its limits, and how the field evolved.
Original commentary from the Cancer Explained editorial team.
Historical context: this page explains an event dated 2006. It was published as an explainer on July 12, 2026 and is not breaking news.
Please note: this page is educational only — it is not medical advice, and it does not speculate about anyone’s health beyond reliable public reporting. For questions about your own health, talk with your healthcare team.
Historical milestone — this page describes an event dated 2006. It is not current breaking news.
The 23-year gap
In 1983 Harald zur Hausen showed that certain papillomaviruses cause cervical cancer in humans. The Nobel Assembly cited that work when it gave him half the 2008 prize in physiology or medicine.
He found that the virus genes get built into the DNA of the host cell. That was a specific, testable claim about a mechanism. It meant a vaccine was possible in principle.
It took 23 years to arrive. In 2006 FDA approved Gardasil, made by Merck. NCI's milestone list records it as the first vaccine approved to prevent cervical cancer.
What the first version covered
The original Gardasil targeted four HPV types.
Types 16 and 18 cause about 70 percent of cervical cancers. Types 6 and 11 cause 90 percent of genital warts. Two of the four were aimed at cancer, and two at a condition that is unpleasant but not malignant.
FDA's current labeling for Gardasil covers girls and women aged 9 through 26. It lists cervical, vulvar, vaginal, and anal cancers caused by types 16 and 18. It also lists genital warts from types 6 and 11, and a range of precancerous lesions. For boys and men aged 9 through 26 it covers anal cancer from types 16 and 18, genital warts, and anal precancerous lesions.
The vaccine used in the United States now is Gardasil 9. It adds types 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58, which account for another 10 to 20 percent of cervical cancers.
How it works, which explains its limits
The vaccine is built from virus-like particles. These are copies of the virus's outer shell with no viral DNA inside. They cannot infect anything.
The immune system does not know that. It sees the familiar surface and makes antibodies. If real HPV turns up later, those antibodies bind it before it can enter a cell.
That mechanism explains two things at once. The particles provoke a strong antibody response, so the vaccine works well. And it prevents rather than treats. Antibodies stop a virus getting in. They do nothing about cells already infected.
NCI states this plainly: the vaccine does not treat existing HPV infections or HPV-caused disease. Protection against the targeted types has now been shown to last more than a decade. Our page on HPV and cancer covers which cancers the virus is linked to.
Who it is for now
CDC recommends HPV vaccination for children and adults aged 9 through 26. It is routinely given at 11 or 12, and can start at 9. Anyone through 26 not adequately vaccinated earlier is recommended to catch up.
For adults 27 through 45, FDA has approved the vaccine but it is not routinely recommended. NCI explains why: more people in that range have already been exposed, so the benefit is smaller. Clinicians can discuss it individually.
Someone who already has HPV or an abnormal Pap result should still be vaccinated if they are aged 9 to 26. The vaccine may protect against types they have not yet met. It will not clear the infection they have.
On safety, NCI reports more than two decades of monitoring with no serious side effects. The most common problem is brief soreness at the injection site.
What it changed at population scale
Real-world data now show the vaccine greatly reduces cancer incidence, not just infection.
There is a second effect worth naming. As vaccination rates rise, the amount of virus in circulation falls. That protects unvaccinated people too. NCI cites US data where rising female vaccination rates were followed by falling oral HPV infection in males.
NCI states that widespread HPV vaccination has the potential to reduce cervical cancer incidence worldwide by as much as 90 percent.
Vaccination does not replace screening
This is the practical point that gets lost most often.
Gardasil 9 does not cover every cancer-causing HPV type. NCI is explicit that vaccinated women should follow the same screening schedule as everyone else.
The combination is what works. Vaccination lowers the chance of infection. Screening finds the cell changes that infection can still cause. Our page on cervical cancer sets out how those changes are found and treated.
When to raise it with a clinician
There is no symptom that says "get vaccinated." These are the moments when the conversation belongs on the agenda:
- A child's 11- or 12-year checkup, which is when the series is routinely offered
- Any visit for someone aged 9 through 26 who has not completed the series
- An abnormal Pap or HPV test result, where vaccination may still add protection against other types
- Ages 27 through 45, where it is a case-by-case discussion rather than a routine recommendation
Symptoms are a separate matter. Bleeding after sex, after menopause, or between periods needs assessment. That is true whatever a person's vaccination status.
What this does not mean
A 2006 approval did not produce a 2007 fall in cancer. Cervical cancer takes years to grow out of an infection. So the effect on cancer rates only became visible long after the vaccine arrived.
The original four-type vaccine is also not the current one. Comparisons between the 2006 product and today's nine-type version are comparisons between different things.
And a vaccine against a virus is not a vaccine against cancer in general. It works for cancers caused by specific HPV types. Most cancers have no infectious cause, and no vaccine is in prospect for them.
Sources
- FDA, GARDASIL — https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/vaccines/gardasil
- FDA, GARDASIL 9 — https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/vaccines/gardasil-9
- NCI, Milestones in Cancer Research and Discovery — https://www.cancer.gov/research/progress/250-years-milestones
- NCI, Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine — https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/infectious-agents/hpv-vaccine-fact-sheet
- NCI, Cervical Cancer Symptoms — https://www.cancer.gov/types/cervical/symptoms
- The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2008, Harald zur Hausen — https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2008/hausen/facts/
How this article was prepared
An AI-assisted editorial system helped prepare this page. No named medical reviewer has reviewed it unless one is listed.
The National Cancer Information Foundation publishes Cancer Explained. This page is for learning. It is not medical advice and does not suggest a test or treatment.
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Put the story in context
Prevention, possible warning signs, screening, and diagnosis
This story relates to Cervical cancer. The information below is general: it does not reveal anything else about a public person’s health, and not every point applies to every cancer. Personal advice depends on age, symptoms, family history, exposures, and medical history.
Prevention and risk reduction
Not every cancer can be prevented. Avoiding tobacco, protecting skin from ultraviolet radiation, limiting alcohol, staying active, and receiving recommended HPV or hepatitis B vaccination can lower the risk of certain cancers. A risk factor is not a prediction or a cause in one individual.
Symptoms and possible early signs
Possible signs vary and are often caused by conditions other than cancer. Changes worth discussing include a new lump, unexplained bleeding or weight loss, a persistent cough, lasting bowel or bladder changes, a changing skin spot, or symptoms that persist or worsen. Some early cancers cause no symptoms.
Screening and early detection
Screening looks for certain cancers before symptoms begin. Recommended tests exist only for some cancers and depend on age and risk. Screening can have benefits and harms; it is not the same as evaluating a new symptom, and there is no single routine scan or blood test that reliably screens for every cancer.
How cancer is diagnosed
Diagnosis may involve a history and exam, imaging, laboratory tests, and often a biopsy. Pathology can identify the cancer type and may test biomarkers that guide treatment. Symptoms, screening results, tumor markers, or online stories alone cannot confirm cancer.
Learn about this story’s cancer topic
A public story may encourage questions, but it should not be used to estimate your risk or choose testing. Contact a healthcare professional about a persistent or concerning change. Seek urgent care for severe or rapidly worsening symptoms.