No Cervical Cancer Cases in Women Who Took HPV Vaccine Early, Finds Study

Cervical Cancer Awareness Month: HPV vaccine can prevent cervical cancer, reinforces the new study.

Cervical Cancer Awareness Month: HPV vaccine can prevent cervical cancer, finds new study from Scotland

(Photo: iStock/ altered by FIT)

Women, who received HPV vaccination at the ages of 12 and 13 years, did not show any instances of cervical cancer, according to a new analysis led by Public Health Scotland (PHS).

Does this mean the HPV vaccine can prevent cervical cancer? What else did the study find? Here's what to know.

Big points from the study:

• No cases of invasive cancer were recorded in women who received the HPV vaccine at 12 or 13 years of age, irrespective of the number of doses.

• Women vaccinated at 14 to 22 years of age and received 3 doses of the bivalent vaccine showed a significant reduction in incidence compared to unvaccinated women.

• The researchers screened women who received the HPV vaccine as part of school-based programmes for routine immunisation in all S1 pupils in Scotland.

• The women were tested in 2020, 16 years after they were immunised.

Why it matters: The study's findings reiterate with real-world evidence that the HPV (human papillomavirus virus) vaccine is effective in preventing the development of cancer.

This is especially significant considering cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women between 15 and 44 years of age, in India.

The way forward: The study's findings are particularly encouraging to keep the school-based programs for routine immunisation, reported the BBC. The vaccine is now offered to boys as well, as there is now evidence to show that it can protect them from other HPV-related cancers later in life as well.

More about HPV: HPV is a sexually transmitted virus that is a major (but not only) cause for all kinds of cervical cancer. It occurs and infects the vaginal area through sexual activity.

So far, clinical studies have found that HPV vaccines are effective in cutting down the risk of cervical cancer by up to 90 percent, especially when taken between the ages of 9 and 12 years.

Want to know more about cervical cancer and the HPV vaccine? Speaking to FIT, a gynaecologist breaks it down here: