The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine reduces the incidence of cervical cancer by 87 per cent, according to the latest scientific data published in The Lancet. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide, with 300,000 patients dying from it every year.
Cancer Research UK, which funded the research, described the information as ground-breaking. It means that the HPV vaccine saves lives, especially since - as statistics show - almost all cervical cancers are caused by the virus. The latest data also proves that rates of pre-cancerous conditions decreased by 97 per cent when the vaccine was given at 12 and 13 years of age. The researchers also found that women vaccinated against HPV may need significantly fewer cervical cytology tests.
The study analysed registration data from January 2006 to June 2019 of women aged between 20 and 64.
In almost 13 years, there have been around 28,000 diagnoses of cervical cancer and 300,000 cases of a pre-cancerous condition called cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in England. Nearly nine out of ten deaths from cervical cancer occur in low- and middle-income countries where there is little access to screening. More than 100 countries have already started using the vaccine as part of a World Health Organisation effort. In the UK, the vaccine is offered to girls aged 11 to 13, depending on where they live. From 2019, the vaccine is also available for boys.
Source: medexpress.co.uk