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Genital Warts

1st Article Vaccine Treatment

Other Importan Information:

The Strangest Sex Education (Home)
N.G.U. (PID/Bacterial Vag.) 50% Unknown Cause
The Truth About MYCOPLASMA's
The Vaccine Argruement (Evil lobbyists from drug companies exposed)
An Over looked Natural Vaccine with high cure rate
Toxic Revelation; Fraud in medical research, Evil influence of lobbyists on health care

Rectal Warts by Cross Contamination ?

Posted by; The Toxic Reverend aka Justice Is Homeless "homelessjustice at yahoo dot com"
Please note the "The Vaccine Argruement" posting.

 
Please note the fair use statement, after these articles.
Overlooked genital wart therapy has high cure rate. (condyloma acuminata vaccine) Cancer Biotechnology Weekly, Oct 2, 1995 p3(2). Author: Michelle Marble Subjects: Condyloma acuminatum - Care and treatment Vaccines - Therapeutic use Papillomavirus infections - Care and treatment A rarely used treatment modality that has been around since 1944 shows higher cure rates than currently used protocols for the treatment of the human papillomavirus (HPV) infection which causes genital warts. O.H. Wiltz et al. proposed that surgical excision of detectable genital warts, followed by patient immunization with an autogenous condyloma acuminata vaccine is the most effective therapy available for primary and recurrent perianal HPV infection ("Autogenous Vaccine: The Best Therapy for Perianal Condyloma Acuminata?", Diseases of the Colon and Rectum, August 1995;38(8):838-41). "We believe that the excision of perianal condyloma acuminata followed by autogenous condyloma acuminata vaccination for approximately ten weeks is the most effective and definitive treatment option and, moreover, should be considered in all patients with perianal condyloma acuminata," stated Wiltz et al. "The vaccine is quite inexpensive and easy to develop and has not had any serious side effects." Related research by C.M. Suzukie et al., presented at the International Symposium on Clinical Immunology, held July 20-23, 1995, summed up the potential payoffs: "an effective vaccine against HPV could mean a virtual end to cervical cancer, the second most common cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide." This information is especially important if the research by Gloria Ho et al. (see Cancer Biotechnology Weekly, October 2, 1995, pg 2, story title 'Persistence of HPV Infection is Predictive of Persistent Dysplasia') holds true in future epidemiological studies. If persistence of HPV is predictive of cervical carcinoma development and progression, vaccine therapies that 'halt' the disease after initial detection would be highly effective and safe prophylactic therapy for the prevention of cervical cancer. Wiltz et al. evaluated the effectiveness of surgical excision of the warts followed by autogenous vaccination compared to current standard treatment protocols including bichloroacetic acid, podophyllum and interferon A and surgical excision alone. Eighty-three consecutive patients of one surgeon, treated between 1985 and 1992, were given options for the treatment of their HPV infection. Twenty chose surgical excision alone; 10 chose bichloroacetic acid treatment; five chose podophyllum and interferon A; and 43 chose to undergo surgical excision followed by immunotherapy with the autogenous vaccine. Eighty of the 83 patients were male. Recurrent disease was being treated in 25 of the patients. The patients choosing the standard current protocols did so as they did not wish to undergo the prolonged time frame necessary to complete the immunization treatment. The vaccine was prepared individually for each patient from autogenous tissue obtained from the surgical excision. One hundred to 500 mg of condyloma acuminata tissue was used to create the 'killed' vaccine. The protocol started approximately two weeks after surgical excision. The patients were injected in the deltoid muscle with 0.1 ml of vaccine solution, doses escalating by 0.1 ml increments three times per week until the maximum dose of 1.0 ml was reached. Upon reaching the maximum dose, injections continued three times a week until the vaccine was gone. Most patients completed the protocol within 12 weeks. Patients were followed weekly for 12 weeks, than monthly for six months, and then yearly thereafter. None of the vaccine patients were lost in follow-up and the follow-up period ranged up to seven years in some cases. Only 15 percent of the vaccine patients experienced any reactions to the vaccines. The reactions were minor and local to the vaccination site and cleared-up without intervention. Recurrence rates for patients choosing excision alone, interferon A or caustic agents ranged from 50 to 85 percent. The recurrence rate in the immunized patients was only 4.6 percent. Standard therapy patients with recurrence were offered immunization. Those who accepted experienced only a 2 percent recurrence. The authors hypothesized that the mechanisms by which the immunotherapy reduced the recurrence rate of HPV infection could include: 1) free transfer of immunologically critical viral proteins in nonviable bacteria; 2) transmission of nonviable complete or partially destroyed viral particles; and/or 3) humoral cross-reactivity between bacterial and viral proteins. "Although solid immunologic data are lacking at present as to the mechanism by which this vaccination protocol works, it is clear that it is safe," concluded Wiltz et al. "Immunotherapy has been known for quite a long time to be effective in the treatment of perianal warts. The original report was published by Biberstein in 1944 (Arch Dermatol, 1944;50:12-22), and he found a success rate with this technique of 86 percent. We believe that surgical excision of anal and perianal condyloma acuminata followed by autogenous vaccination is the most effective treatment modality for most cases." The corresponding author for this study is Dr. Wiltz, P.O. Box 364881, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-4881.


 
New choices for coping with genital warts.

    FDA Consumer, May 1995 v29 n4 p17(5).

    Author: Ricki Lewis
                                                                             
    Abstract: Genital warts caused by the human papillomavirus are
    difficult to treat because the virus lives deep in the skin tissue. Alpha
    interferon was approved to treat the condition in 1988, but only for
    patients in which other treatments did not work. Recurrence rates are
    high.
                                                                             
    Subjects: Condyloma acuminatum - Drug therapy
                                                                             
    Features: illustration;  photograph;  table;  chart
                                                                             

It may not grab as many headlines as AIDS and herpes, but genital warts,
another sexually transmitted disease, is also a current concern. Half a
million new cases of genital warts are diagnosed in the United States each
year. Visits to physicians for treatment of genital warts have increased
tenfold since 1986, perhaps because of increased awareness of sexual health
issues.

Technically known as condyloma acuminata, genital warts are small growths,
resembling cauliflower, that occur on or near the genitals. Like other warts,
the genital variety is caused by a virus, called human papilloma virus (HPV).
This virus comes in 60 forms, two of which account for nearly all cases of
genital warts.

The wart itself is actually "the tip of an iceberg," says Katherine Stone,
M.D., medical epidemiologist with the division of sexually transmitted
diseases at the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in
Atlanta. This is because the virus lurks in cells of the normal-appearing
skin around the visible wart, and also possibly in other urogenital areas.
The viral nature of the condition also has important implications for
transmission and treatment.

Sexual Transmission

Because active virus is on the genitals, sexual contact can spread the
infection. Studies show that 60 to 90 percent of people whose partners have
visible warts also have warts within three months.

However, many people may harbor this virus and not know it. The virus may
infect cells but not cause warts for many years, erupting into visible
lesions when the immune system is suppressed. Several studies of women
receiving routine Pap smears, which can reveal HPV infection, show that many
women without a recent history of exposure harbor the virus, suggesting that
it may have been acquired earlier.

The viral nature of genital warts suggests that anti-viral therapies may be
effective. Standard treatments burn, scrape, freeze, or use a laser to remove
affected tissue. A newer treatment, alpha interferon, attacks the virus, the
underlying source. In 1988, the Food and Drug Administration licensed alpha
interferon to treat genital warts in patients who have not been helped by
other therapies.

"Interferon is an anti-viral agent, and warts are caused by viruses. It also
has other effects - it is an anti-proliferative, blocking cell division, and
has immunomodulatory effects. It is an effective therapy," says David
Finbloom, M.D., chief of the Laboratory of Cytokine Research at FDA. In
development are several biologic agents that attack the virus' genetic
material. Although these new approaches make scientific sense, whether or not
they offer better relief than traditional treatments remains an important
question.

A genital wart may appear externally on the genitalia, in the anal area,
internally in the upper vagina or cervix, and in the male urethra. The lesion
is typically raised and pinkish. This condition may produce no symptoms at
all, or cause itching, burning, tenderness, pain during intercourse, or
frequent urination.

But because of a wart's location and sexual mode of transmission, it may
cause emotional and social problems. "Genital warts can inflict extreme
psychological turmoil, and patients often feel embarassed, angry, and even
guilty," says Robert Brodell, M.D., head of the dermatology section,
Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine in Warren, Ohio. He has a
large private practice and uses many techniques to treat genital warts.
Although the warts themselves may not hurt, treatment does, and the high
frequency of recurrence, even with treatment, can be very frustrating, he
adds.

Concern about genital warts has increased because of an association between
HPV and genital cancers. But cancer risk is not elevated for people with
visible genital warts, says CDC's Stone. Of the 60 known types of HPV, five
are seen in nearly all surface cancers of the cervix, vagina, vulva, anus,
penis, and perianal area - but these are not the forms of the virus that
cause visible warts. Cancer is linked to types 16, 18, and 31; genital warts
to types 6 and 11.

Risk Factors

Anyone who has ever had sex is at risk for harboring HPV. The virus seems to
cause visible lesions when a person's immune system is suppressed, but may
flare up even without an obvious trigger. This may occur because of illness
(particularly other sexually transmitted diseases), or from taking certain
drugs, such as cancer chemotherapy or drugs to prevent rejection of an organ
transplant. Deficiencies of folic acid and vitamin A also may trigger genital
warts. Smoking raises risk twofold, partly because nicotine byproducts attack
immune system cells in the cervix, says Stone.

Preventing spread of HPV is difficult, because many people have the virus
without visible signs of it. "Condoms will not completely prevent
transmission of genital warts. This is a virus that may exist outside the
area protected by a condom - even if the warts are not visible," says Marcia
Bowling, M.D., clinical assistant professor in the division of gynecologic
oncology at the University of Cincinnati.

Diagnosis

Finding a cauliflower-like growth on the genitals is reason to see a
dermatologist, urologist or gynecologist, who can tell if it is genital warts
or a different kind of growth, such as a cancer or ulcer. A gynecologist may
use a type of microscope called a colposcope to examine a woman's cervix to
see if there are internal outbreaks.

When acetic acid (vinegar) is swabbed on the cervix, HPV lesions appear
whitish. Colposcopy can be valuable in detecting flat lesions that are not
visible to the unaided eye, but only two-thirds of white areas seen in a
colposcope are due to HPV infection. Sampling cells with a biopsy and testing
for HPV genetic material may be necessary to confirm a diagnosis.

Treatment

People with genital warts have a variety of treatments to choose from, but
none is a perfect cure, and all have side effects. The treatments also vary
widely in cost. In the March 1995 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases,
Stone writes that several treatment studies have demonstrated that warts
treated with placebo preparations completely regressed within three months in
10 to 30 percent of patients, and that no studies have followed persons with
warts longer than five months to assess spontaneous regression. The problem,
of course, is that there is no way to know who the lucky patients will be.

Genital wart treatments fall into three categories - prescription topical
preparations that destroy wart tissue; surgical methods that remove wart
tissue; and biological-based approaches that target the virus causing the
underlying condition. (Each treatment must be applied to individual warts -
none is taken systemically.)

FDA has approved Condylox (podofilox) as a topical treatment for genital
warts. Some doctors also prescribe Podocon-25 and Podofin (podophyllin),
which are approved for other uses.

Podocon-25 and Podofin are made from resin of the mandrake plant, or May
apple. A physician applies the drug to warts, where it causes the skin to
ulcerate. Typically the drug is left in place for only 30 to 40 minutes the
first time to see how the patient reacts. In subsequent treatments,
podophyllin is left on for up to four hours but no longer, or surrounding
skin may ulcerate. Side effects include pain, redness, itching, burning, and
swelling of the treated area. Warts that are extensive, scaly in appearance,
or have been present for a long time are not likely to respond well to
podophyllin. Patients who are pregnant, have diabetes, or are taking steroid
drugs or have poor circulation are not good candidates for this treatment.

Condylox also is a plant extract, derived from mandrake or juniper plants.
The patient can use it at home, after a doctor demonstrates how to apply it
with a cotton-tipped stick. The patient applies the drug every 12 hours for
three consecutive days, does not use it for four days, then repeats the
three-day regimen, for a total of not more than four cycles. If it hasn't
worked by then, another treatment should be tried.

Most Condylox users experience a burning sensation, pain, inflammation,
itching, or erosion of the affected area. Although Condylox has not been
shown to harm fetuses, it is not advised for pregnant women because similar
drugs are harmful.

Physicians sometimes use other topical treatments, such as trichloroacetic
acid. This is a very caustic chemical that has not been tested very
extensively on genital warts. Some physicians also use bichloroacetic acid or
5-fluorouracil, but FDA has not approved any of these for treating genital
warts.

Removal and Recurrence

Visible genital warts can be physically removed using cold, heat, or excision
by a scalpel or a laser. All of these techniques are uncomfortable, and the
warts tend to recur because HPV is still present in surrounding cells.

Carbon dioxide laser vaporization and conventional surgical excision are best
reserved for extensive warts, especially for patients who haven't responded
to other treatments, according to CDC'S 1993 Sexually Transmitted Disease
Treatment Guidelines. These guidelines are not requirements, according to CDC
medical epidemiologist Stuart Berman, M.D.

Stephen K. Tyring, M.D., Ph.D, associate professor at the University of Texas
Medical Branch, and colleagues, including Brodell, writing in the June 1993
issue of The Female Patient, say that laser vaporization may require general
anesthesia, is painful, and may require months to heal, sometimes leaving a
whitish, scarred area. Surgical excision requires local anesthesia, and may
produce scarring and lead to infection.

Cryotherapy is performed on less extensive lesions. This method uses liquid
nitrogen or a device called a cryoprobe to freeze wart tissue, which then
crumbles away. It is inexpensive, does not require an anesthetic, and is less
likely to leave a scar than excision using a scalpel. However, most patients
experience pain during and after the procedure. Cryotherapy with liquid
nitrogen is especially well-suited for warts in hard-to-reach places, such as
in the vagina, anus, or the area where the urethra contacts the outside of
the body.

With electrocautery, a metal loop heated by an electric current is used to
bum off the lesion. Like the other surgical techniques, electrocautery
requires a very skilled physician to avoid damaging surrounding or underlying
tissue. CDC advises against using electrocautery to treat warts on the
external genitalia or anal area.

Interferon

Interferon is a natural immune system biochemical. In treating genital warts,
unlike other approaches, interferon attacks the responsible virus. One brand
of alpha interferon used to treat genital warts, Alferon N, is obtained from
white blood cells. The interferon is acid-treated and carefully screened for
contaminants and viruses, says FDA's Finbloom. Another brand of alpha
interferon licensed to treat genital warts, Intron A, is manufactured through
genetic engineering.

Interferon was discovered in 1957, and its varied effects on immunity led
scientists to hail it as a potential miracle cure for many conditions.
However, it was difficult to obtain in sufficient amounts to test. With the
advent of recombinant DNA technology in the 1970s, abundant, pure supplies of
interferon became available to researchers. Not quite the magic elixir some
expected, alpha interferon nevertheless is used today in the United States to
treat hepatitis B and C, hairy cell leukemia, Aids-associated Kaposi's
sarcoma, and genital warts. Another form of interferon, Betaseron (or beta
interferon), is approved to treat multiple sclerosis.

Treatment with interferon involves the doctor injecting the substance with a
very small needle directly into each wart. Alferon N is injected twice a
week, and Intron A three times a week. Treatment usually lasts eight weeks,
with the lesions beginning to shrink by the fourth week. In one study,
interferon was given along with podophyllin. The combination increased
efficacy, but also raised recurrence rate.

About 30 percent of patients develop mild flu-like symptoms about two to four
hours following treatment. For this reason, many doctors using interferon
treat patients in the late afternoon, so that the patients feel well enough
to go to work by the next morning. This side effect mimics the natural role
of interferon in the body. The fever, aches and pains of a viral infection
are actually caused by interferon and other immune system biochemicals
readying the immune system to attack infecting virus, not by the bug itself.

Interferon therapy is expensive, usually costing from $1,100 to $1,200 for
the entire treatment, counting office visits. CDC'S 1993 treatment guidelines
state, "Interferon therapy is not recommended because of its cost and its
association with a high frequency of adverse side effects, and efficacy is no
greater than that of other available therapies." Stone explains that the
guidelines were based on analysis of published reports - up until August 1992
of interferon's efficacy. "The bottom line was that the clearance rate
[efficacy] and recurrence are not better than what you see with less
invasive, less expensive therapies," she says.

Stone and others at CDC were particularly concerned about a woman who called
them saying she had gone to a clinic in Atlanta and been asked to pay $2,000
up front for interferon treatment of a single wart. This was the first
treatment the woman was offered.

Yet Brodell reports that he has "patients whom I can't make better using
traditional approaches, and I see 70 percent of them get better using
interferon. My patients typically have had two laser treatments, cryotherapy
twice, and at home treatment with Condylox. I freeze the warts, use
bichloroacetic acid, say magic words and bury a potato in the backyard, but
it doesn't help," he says. Brodell finds the recurrence rate of genital warts
using interferon to be about 25 percent.

Treatments Under Investigation

Elsewhere, other biological approaches are attempting to treat the underlying
cause of genital warts. ISIS Pharmaceuticals in Carlsbad, Calif., is
conducting clinical trials of a biologic called afovirsen that blocks HPV
from using one of its key genes, disarming it from infecting human cells.
Like interferon, afovirsen is injected into individual warts.

Researchers at Gilead Sciences in Foster City, Calif., are testing a topical
drug called GS504 that blocks the virus from duplicating its genetic
material. They are trying to see if this experimental drug, by entering
nearby cells that are not yet infected, can prevent the virus from taking
hold, according to company spokeswoman Lana Lauher. GS504 is currently being
tested in people who are HIV positive or who have AIDS. Genital warts are
especially severe in such people because their immune systems are suppressed.
Therefore, if a treatment helps them, chances are good that it will also work
on less severe cases.

Although genital warts are not life-threatening, they can cause great mental
anguish. "Fortunately, a patient has many treatment options," says FDA's
Finbloom.
Genital Wart Treatments
 
Treatment                    Efficacy            Recurrence(*)
 
cryotherapy                  63-88%              24-39%
interferon                   44%                 0% (recombinant alone)
interferon + podophyllin     61%                 67%
laser vaporization           23-40%              not known
podofilox                    45-88%              33-60%
podophyllin                  32-79%              27-65%
surgical excision            93%                 29%
trichloroacetic acid or
bichloroacetic acid          81%                 36%
 
(*) up to 1 year, depending on the study
 
(Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention)

 


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