Vaccine and cancer prevention

Chronic infection attributes to 29.7% of cancer mortality in China, among which Helicobacter Pylori (HP), Hepatitis B virus (HBV), and Human papillomavirus (HPV) are the three major infectious agents. HBV vaccine and HPV vaccine were respectively developed in 1981 and 2006, and have been proven could efficiently prevent HBV-related hepatocarcinoma and HPV-related cervical cancer. In May of 2012, "China Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Work Plan (2012-2015) " was promulgated. This work plan not only requires exploring appropriate screening technologies for major cancers in high-risk areas, and also requests strengthening the implementation of HBV vaccination and HPV vaccination among high-risk population. Moreover, China announced to have successfully developed HP vaccine recently, which could efficiently prevent HP-related gastric cancer. By summarizing the current research progress of the three anti-cancer prophylactic vaccines, this review made a brief introduction of the great breakthroughs in cancer primary prevention. Furthermore, it also reviewed the implementation history of HBV vaccine in China, and the current gap existing between developed countries and China for HPV vaccine. This review hopes to help Chinese policy makers further improve and complete the HBV vaccination program, to accelerate the launch of HPV vaccination program with the least delay, and to introduce the HP vaccine at appropriate time in China.