From USA Today. Read the full story here.
More than 10 years after it became widely available to the public, a recent analysis of prior studies confirms one thing: The HPV vaccine may be a lifesaver. It could even lead to the outright eradication of cervical cancer.
A meta-analysis of over 600 prior studies of HPV vaccination funded by the World Health Organization and published in the peer-reviewed journal Lancet found a decline in cases of HPV and in growths that could lead to cervical cancer.
Covering 600 million people in 14 “high-income countries,” cases of HPV from the vaccine’s introduction up to now fell 83% in girls 15 to 19 and 66% in women 20 to 24. Pre-cancerous growths, meanwhile, saw a 51% decrease in girls 15 to 19 and 31% in women 20 to 24.
“These results provide strong evidence of HPV vaccination working to prevent cervical cancer in real-world settings, as HPV infections — which are the cause of cervical cancer — and precancerous cervical lesions are significantly declining,” said Prof. Marc Brisson of Université Laval in Quebec, who led the review, in a statement to USA TODAY.
It also benefits individuals who are unvaccinated, creating a herd-immunity effect as more people get vaccinated. The study, reported by the BBC, seemed to show that cases of genital warts fell considerably in young men and women over 30.
Cervical cancer could be eliminated, Brisson tells USA TODAY, “if sufficiently high-vaccination coverage can be achieved and maintained.”
“We are working with the World Health Organization to determine when cervical cancer could be eliminated in different countries,” Brisson said. “Our results provide promising early signs that the World Health Organization call for action.”
The finding seems to corroborate others from Australia, which is on track to effectively eliminate cervical cancer by 2022 due to mandatory HPV vaccination.
But the rates of HPV vaccination in the United States are worrisome. Only 34% of 11- and 12-year olds, according to a recent study by Blue Cross Blue Shield, were vaccinated in 2016.
The HPV vaccine also could reduce the risk of anal cancer for people of all genders, as “Desperate Housewives” actress Marcia Cross said after announcing her diagnosis earlier this year.