HPV vaccine prevents cervical cancer before it starts

Cervical cancer is one of the few cancers that can often be prevented. Yet thousands of people are diagnosed each year with the disease, which is overwhelmingly linked to a common virus for which a vaccine exists.

“HPV (human papillomavirus) is an incredibly common virus that 80% of adults will have at some point in their lives,” said Dr. Linda Eckert, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Eckert’s comments come on the heels of a study published this month in the Lancet that found high HPV vaccination rates were associated with greatly reduced cervical cancer death rates. The researchers found that women ages 20 to 24 in England between 2020 and 2024 had high youth vaccination rates and no cervical cancer deaths.

While most infections clear on their own, certain high-risk strains can persist and cause cancerous changes in the cervix. Nearly 98% of cervical cancer cases are caused by HPV, making it a uniquely preventable disease.

“One of the great tools we have for preventing cervical cancer is the HPV vaccine and that works by preventing new infections with human papillomavirus that are protected from the vaccine,” Eckert said.

The vaccine protects against seven of the most common cancer-causing HPV strains and has been administered more than 270 million times worldwide. The HPV vaccine is typically recommended for children ages 11 or 12 and is appropriate for adults up to age 45, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

When detected early, cervical cancer is highly treatable. Treatment can be physically and emotionally difficult, however, often affecting people’s ability to have children due to surgery, radiation or chemotherapy.

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