Three years ago, the Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccine Gardasil, which protects against human papillomaviruses (HPV).  The category includes around 100 sexually transmitted viruses that are the primary cause of cervical cancer. By the end of last year more than 23 million doses had been distributed – enough to vaccinate seven million girls.

A new government study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has raised some concerns about side effects associated with the drug. Merck, the drug's manufacturer, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintain Gardasil is safe and effective, and that adequate warnings are provided. To find out more, we speak with Diane Harper, a physician and one of the lead researchers for Merck's Gardasil clinical trials. She has been speaking out in favor of more warnings. We also speak with Sheila Rothman, a professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. For one parent's point of view, we talk to Kenye Jones-Downing about whether she plans to give her daughter the vaccine.

Decide for yourself! Watch the ad below. Does it go too far? Or not far enough?

Last weekend, researchers announced details of a new cancer “vaccine” that keeps some cancers at bay for more than a year. The announcement came at an oncology conference in Florida that’s considered the world’s largest of its kind. But oncologist Len Lichtenfield, deputy chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society, says that other research that's just as ground-breaking never sees the light of day because of legal and financial barriers.

A growing number of women are opting to have double mastectomies in order to combat a breast cancer. We’ll talk about why.

A 21-patient study has shown that the drug abiraterone can stop the testosterone that feeds prostate cancer. A larger international clinical trial is underway to test the drug before it can be deemed a "miracle drug." Also, Dimebon, once used as an antihistamine, has been found to improve cognitive abilities for Alzheimer’s patients, though researchers aren't yet sure how.

Two weeks ago, long-serving Massachusetts senator Ted Kennedy was diagnosed with a glioma, a rare cancerous brain tumor. Yesterday, he underwent extensive brain surgery and now the senator faces radiation treatments and chemotherapy. The Takeaway talks with Dr. Bernadine Healy, former director of the National Institutes of Health, to get a glimpse of what lies ahead for the senator's health. Dr. Healy should know — she was diagnosed with a glioma almost 10 years ago.