Credit: ©tetmc/iStock/Thinkstock

In a new report authored by Dr. John Stern, of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Pennsylvania Health System, he believes the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination may actually work as a treatment, zapping warts in people already infected.

The report describes several cases of people who had persistent oral warts that went away soon after they received the HPV vaccine. It highlights the case of a man in his 60s who had recurrent warts on his lips, tongue and cheeks for 18 months. The man tried to have the warts removed, but they kept coming back. Doctors diagnosed the man with an HPV infection. The man received the quadrivalent HPV vaccine, which protects against four HPV strains, and a month after the patient received the first dose of the HPV vaccine, he showed significant improvement, and within three months, the warts went away.

While it's too early to say for certain whether the HPV vaccine treated the warts – and researchers are keen to stress anyone with the HPV should refrain from asking for the vaccination – the report should prompt researchers to try to understand why some people appear to benefit from getting the vaccine even after they have an HPV infection, while others don't.