HPV vaccine cuts cervical cancer by 87 percent in 'historic' UK study
![HPV vaccine](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fUW9KDsTajbubH5kRGkSDW-415-80.jpg)
A British initiative to vaccinate teenage girls against the human papillomavirus (HPV) slashed cervical cancer rates by 87 percent when the vaccine was administered at age 12 and 13, 62 percent when offered at age 14 to 16, and 34 percent among women vaccinated at 16 to 18, researchers reported Thursday in the medical journal The Lancet. Cancer Research UK, which funded the study, called the results "historic" and said it proves the HPV vaccine saves lives.
Britain's National Health Service began offering the HPV vaccine to girls as young as 11 in 2008, and the new study compares cervical cancer outcomes between vaccinated and unvaccinated women now that the first cohort is in their 20s. Most cervical cancer is caused by one of two HPVs blocked by the vaccine, and immunization is much more effective if administered before teens become sexually active.
The Lancet study estimated that by June 2019, the vaccine had prevented 450 cases of cervical cancer in the immunized groups and 17,200 cases of precancerous cervical carcinomas. Cervical cancer is the No. 4 most common cancer in women worldwide and kills 300,000 each year, BBC News reports. Almost 90 percent of those deaths are in low- to middle-income countries, where the vaccine could have the biggest impact.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"We've known for many years that HPV vaccination is very effective in preventing particular strains of the virus, but to see the real-life impact of the vaccine has been truly rewarding," said lead author Peter Sasieni, of King's College London. "Assuming most people continue to get the HPV vaccine and go for screening, cervical cancer will become a rare disease."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
The Week Unwrapped: The dark world of illicit gambling
Podcast Plus, the pension pot shortfall and Obama's silence on Harris
By The Week Staff Published
-
Leonora Carrington: Rebel Visionary – an exhibition of 'unearthly delights'
The 'captivating' show features over 70 pieces spanning everything from paintings to tapestries
By The Week UK Published
-
Patrick Bishop picks his five favourite books
The acclaimed historian chooses works by Ernest Hemingway, Richard Cobb and more
By The Week UK Published
-
Have we defeated malaria?
The Explainer Roll-out of low-cost vaccine means a world free from disease that claims 600,000 lives a year 'finally within sight'
By The Week UK Published
-
Roll-out of affordable malaria vaccine begins
Speed Read R21 is approved for babies and may save hundreds of thousands of lives
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Texas dairy worker gets bird flu from infected cow
Speed Read The virus has been spreading among cattle in Texas, Kansas, Michigan and New Mexico
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Dengue hits the Americas hard and early
Speed Read Puerto Rico has declared an epidemic as dengue cases surge
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US bans final type of asbestos
Speed Read Exposure to asbestos causes about 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Seattle Children's Hospital sues Texas over 'sham' demand for transgender medical records
Speed Read Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton subpoenaed records of any Texan who received gender-affirming care at the Washington hospital
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Afghanistan has a growing female suicide problem
Speed Read The Taliban has steadily whittled away women's and girls' rights in Afghanistan over the past 2 years, prompting a surge in depression and suicide
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US life expectancy rose in 2022 but not to pre-pandemic levels
Speed Read Life expectancy is slowly crawling back up
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published