The efficacy of cervarix vaccine in wart treatment: updated management

Viral warts are one of the most common skin diseases. Wart is a small growth with rough texture that can appear anywhere on the body. Warts can be defined as hyperkeratotic papillomas caused by infection of the epidermis with human papillomavirus (HPV). It can be spread from one individual to another by direct contact or via the environment through contact with towels or shoes. Cutaneous warts vary in their shape and sites. They can occur anywhere, but they are most common on the knuckles, fingers, elbows, and knees. There are many types of cutaneous warts such as plane warts, planter warts, filiform warts and common warts. The treatment of warts is a therapeutic challenge for both patients and physicians. No single therapy has been proven effective at achieving complete remission in every patient. Human papillomavirus vaccines have been available since 2006. There are currently three HPV vaccines licensed in Europe: the bivalent vaccine (Cervarix) that contains virus-like-particles (VLPs) of HPV types 16 and 18, the quadrivalent HPV vaccine (Gardasil/Silgard) that includes VLPs of HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18 and the nonavalent vaccine (Gardasil 9), that contains VLPs of HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58. The mechanism of action of HPV vaccines in the treatment of warts is not yet established. This might be mediated by the development of IgG neutralizing antibodies directed against the major and minor capsid proteins, L1 and L2 of human papillomavirus generated as a result of vaccination.