Vaccination of UK girls against HPV reduced rates of cervical cancer, study finds

Vaccinate girls against HPV significantly reduced cervical cancer rate, discovered British researchers.

In a study published last week in The Lancet, researchers tracked the results of the Cervarix vaccine, which was introduced in England in 2008 and protects against the two most common types of HPV.

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Use of data Using a population-based cancer registry between January 2006 and June 2019, the study looked at seven groups of women aged 20 to 64.

Cervarix protects against two strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can cause cancer. Since 2012, the UK has also used another vaccine called Gardasil which protects against four types of HPV and was not evaluated in the document.

In the study, three vaccinated cohorts were compared to previous cohorts that were not eligible for HPV vaccination.

One type of Gardaisl is currently the only vaccine distributed in the United States
(Credit: iStock)

The study found that cervical cancer rates were 87% lower in girls vaccinated at ages 12-13, 62% lower in girls 14-16, and 34% lower in girls. 16-18, compared to previous unvaccinated generations.

“We estimated that as of June 30, 2019, there were 448 fewer cervical cancers than expected and 17,235 fewer than expected… in cohorts vaccinated in England,” the researchers wrote.

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“It’s amazing to see the impact of the HPV vaccination, and now we can prove that it has prevented hundreds of women from developing cancer in England. We have known for many years that vaccination against HPV is very effective in preventing particular strains of the virus, but seeing the real impact of the vaccine has been truly rewarding, ”said Peter Sasieni, lead author, in a commentary. statement to King’s College London.

“Assuming most people continue to get the HPV vaccine and get tested, cervical cancer will become a rare disease. This year we have already seen the potency of vaccines in controlling the Covid-19 pandemic. These data show that vaccination can prevent some cancers,” he said.

According to the World Health Organization, there are more than 100 types of HPV, of which at least 14 are carcinogenic.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide, with an estimated 570,000 new cases in 2018.

In the United States, the Centers for Disaster Control and Prevention reports that HPV is the most common sexually transmitted virus, with around 43 million infections reported in 2018.

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Cancer can take decades to develop after a person is infected with HPV.

One type of Gardasil that protects against nine types of HPV is currently the only vaccine distributed in the United States, according to the CDC.