Harald zur Hausen, MD, bucked conventional medical thinking in the 1970s and pursued the idea that HPV, or human papilloma virus, played a role in cervical cancer. Eventually, he singled out HPV 16 and 18, the strains responsible for about 70% of cervical cancers worldwide.

His discoveries paved the way for the development of vaccines that can prevent infection with these strains of HPV, and thus help protect women from cervical cancer. For more information on HPV and how the vaccines work, see our document Frequently Asked Questions About Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccines.

The vaccine Gardasil, manufactured by Merck & Co., is the only HPV vaccine currently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States. It works against HPV 16 and 18, as well as 2 other strains that cause genital warts, though not cancer. Drug maker Glaxo Smith-Kline is seeking FDA approval for its vaccine, Cervarix, which protects against HPV 16 and 18 only.

The American Cancer Society recommends routine vaccination for girls. See our document American Cancer Society Recommendations for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine Use to Prevent Cervical Cancer and Pre-Cancers for the full recommendations. However, even women who have been vaccinated still need to be tested regularly for cervical cancer, because there are other HPV strains not affected by the vaccine that can cause the disease. See Cervical Cancer: Prevention and Early Detection for more information on cervical cancer screening tests and recommendations.

Zur Hausen is Professor Emeritus and former Chairman and Scientific Director, German Cancer Research Center, in Heidelberg, Germany. He will share the Nobel Prize with 2 French scientists who made key discoveries about HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.