Effectiveness of the human papillomavirus (types 6, 11, 16, and 18) vaccine in the treatment of children with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis

ObjectiveTo evaluate whether the quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) (types 6, 11, 16, and 18) vaccine influences the clinical course of juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) when administered to a group of patients with this condition.MethodsUncontrolled intervention study of patients with juvenile-onset RRP examined at the Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology Clinic, Federal University of São Paulo, where nine patients between the ages of nine and 17 received three doses of the prophylactic quadrivalent HPV vaccine (Gardasil®) and were followed for one year. Disease staging, intervals between relapses, intervals between surgeries, and the number of surgeries during the year prior to vaccination and during the first year after vaccination were compared.ResultsEight patients were infected with HPV-6 and one with HPV-11. There were no statistically significant differences in the clinical scores (p = 0.083), anatomical scores (p = 0.257), intervals between relapses (p = 0.062), intervals between surgeries (p = 0.357), or the numbers of surgeries (p = 0.180) when the years before and after vaccination were compared. All patients had relapses following vaccination.ConclusionPatients with juvenile-onset RRP experienced a similar clinical course in the year after versus the year before vaccination with Gardasil®.