Researchers from Australia have found that when administering human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations to women, there is also a reduction of high-grade cervical abnormalities (HGAs), which are the first warning signs of a developing cervical cancer. There is a lot more research to be done to investigate the link, but could be a major breakthrough by in essence killing two birds with one treatment stone.

The study’s authors explain:

“Our finding that the decrease in HGA incidence occurred in the youngest vaccination cohort before it occurred in the older, catch-up cohorts (who were more likely to have been previously sexually experienced) reinforces the appropriateness of the targeting of prophylactic HPV vaccines to preadolescent girls. Linkage between vaccination and screening registers is needed to confirm that this ecological observation is because of vaccination and to monitor participation in screening. This is the first report of a decrease in incidence of high-grade cervical abnormalities within 3 years after the implementation of a population-wide HPV vaccination program.”

Australia introduced an HPV vaccination program for all women aged 12-26 years between 2007 and 2009. In this study, the authors analyzed trends in cervical abnormalities before and after introduction of the vaccination program.

HGAs in girls aged 17 years and younger fell by 38% as compared with before the vaccination program (from 80% to 42% among screened women, an almost 50% decline). No decline was seen for LGAs or in older age groups.

It is estimated that at least 75% of the reproductive-age population has been infected with one or more types of genital HPV and up to 6.2 million new infections occur each year. As many as 20 million Americans are estimated to be infected with the genital form of the virus.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an HPV vaccine, called Gardasil, which can protect women against four HPV types; the two most common high-risk strains (HPV 16 and 18) and the two most common low-risk types (HPV 6 and 11). The vaccine, however, needs to be given before an infection occurs, ideally, before a girl becomes sexually active.

The vaccine is approved for girls as young as nine and is routinely recommended for girls 11 and 12 years of age. It may also be given to women ages 13 to 26 who did not receive it when they were younger, but will not work against the particular HPV type if a woman is already infected with one of the four HPV types in the vaccine.

Here is what Dr. Mona Saraiya and Dr. Susan Hariri, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA, say about the study from down under:

“The not-so-cautious optimist in us wants to hail this early finding as true evidence of vaccine effect. However, individual-level vaccine status was not considered-as it perhaps should have been in view of the availability of such data in Victoria-and linkage between vaccination and screening registers is needed to confirm these findings independent of possible bias by screening policy or practice changes. Indeed, more rigorous epidemiological studies are needed-many are under way-to increase our understanding of HPV vaccine effectiveness against cervical disease.”

Sources: The Lancet and Healthy Women

Written by Sy Kraft