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According to the first real-world evidence, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine reduces cervical cancer cases by nearly 90%.
The findings were hailed as “historic” by Cancer Research UK, who claimed they demonstrated that the vaccine was saving lives.
Viruses cause nearly all cervical malignancies, and immunisation may be able to nearly eradicate the illness.
According to the researchers, people who were vaccinated may also require fewer cervical smear examinations as a result of their success.
Depending on where they live in the UK, girls receive the vaccine between the ages of 11 and 13. Since 2019, males have been given the vaccine as well.
The Lancet study looked at what happened in England when the vaccination was made available to girls in 2008.
Those students are now in their early twenties and are adults. Pre-cancerous growths were reduced by 87 percent, and cervical cancer was reduced by 87 percent in the study.
Prof Peter Sasieni, a researcher at King’s College London, stated, “The impact has been significant.”
When older youths were vaccinated as part of a catch-up effort, the reductions were less substantial. This is due to the fact that fewer older teenagers chose to get the vaccine, which should be administered before they begin sexual activity.
The HPV vaccine is thought to have avoided roughly 450 malignancies and 17,200 pre-cancers, according to the study.
Prof. Sasieni claims that this is “only the tip of the iceberg,” as those who have been vaccinated are still too young to develop cancer, and the numbers will continue to rise over time.
Screening
Women are currently invited to have a smear test every three to five years to check for cervical cancer.
Prof. Sasieni, on the other hand, believes that the data “certainly” call for a reassessment.
“It should serve as a wake-up call to policymakers,” he said, “because women will read this and wonder why they should go for screening.”
“I’d like to see us come back with a fresh screening programme every two to three years and continue to test women who haven’t been vaccinated,” she says.
This isn’t the last word on HPV vaccines. There are still some unanswered issues concerning how long protection lasts and whether a mid-life booster is required.
Human papillomavirus comes in over 100 different varieties.
The United Kingdom began utilising a vaccination that protected against two of them, and is set to launch one that protects against nine viruses, including the leading sources of genital warts.
The cancer-causing variants cause harmful modifications to infected cells’ DNA, turning them cancerous.
Any infected tissue can experience this. Because the viruses can be transmitted through vaginal, oral, and anal intercourse, they’ve been connected to anus, penis, and some types of head and neck malignancies.
Human papillomaviruses are responsible for 99 percent of cervical malignancies. That is why, as part of the World Health Organization’s efforts to eliminate cervical cancer, more than 100 nations have begun to use the vaccination.
The findings were “amazing,” according to Dr Vanessa Saliba, a consultant epidemiologist at the UK Health Security Agency, who said the vaccine “saves lives by drastically reducing cervical cancer rates among women.”
“It’s a momentous moment to witness the first study confirming that the HPV vaccine has protected thousands of women from acquiring cervical cancer,” said Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK.