Successfully Using HPV Vaccine to Treat Skin Cancer

Findings in a case recently published in JAMA Dermatology have proven the effective use of 9-valent human papillomavirus vaccine on squamous cell carcinoma, one of the most common forms of skin cancer.

In 2017, Anna Nichols, MD, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Miami’s Department of Dermatology & Cutaneous Studies, was presented with a 97-year-old female patient who had a series of squamous cell tumors on her right leg. The vast number of large lesions made her ineligible for both surgery and radiotherapy. So, Dr. Nichols suggested Gardasil as a means of their only available treatment, which was considered an “off-label” treatment, as the vaccine is only approved for the prevention of cervical, anal, vulvar, and vaginal cancers.

"I think we had a really reasonable expectation and good data that this was actually going to, at the very least, do no harm to this patient, and possibly provide some benefit," said Tim Ioannides, MD, one of the study’s authors. "To have this type of result in such an advanced patient I think was beyond all our expectations."

The patient followed a lengthy injection protocol, receiving two doses of Gardasil six weeks apart. Subsequently, Dr. Nichols administered four injection sessions in most of the patient’s tumors over the course of 11 months. After the 11 months, all of her tumors completely went away without any recurrence. The patient will soon be celebrating her 100th birthday, tumor free.