Therapy Areas: Vaccines
HPV vaccine reduces cancer-causing infection in young women
18 June 2018 -

According to the NHS, there are over 100 different types of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) – a name given to a group of viruses that affect the skin and moist membranes lining your body. Around 40 of these infections affect the genital area.

HPV is very common and it is expected that most people will get an HPV infection at some point during their lives. It can be caught through any kind of sexual contact with another person already infected with the virus.

The majority of people who get an HPV infection will get rid of it naturally without treatment, however, some women infected with a high-risk type of HPV will not be able to clear it. This can lead to abnormal growth of tissue and cause other changes in the cells of the cervix, which can lead to cervical cancer if not treated. Nearly all cervical cancers (99.7%) are caused by infection with a high-risk type of HPV.

High-risk types of HPV are also liked to other types of cancer, including: vaginal cancer; vulval cancer; anal cancer; cancer of the penis; and some cancers of the head and neck. HPV infections do not generally have any symptoms and most people will not know they're infected.

Other types of HPV infection can cause: genital warts; skin warts and verrucas; warts on the voice box or vocal cords (laryngeal papilomas).

In 2008, the UK introduced HPV vaccination into the national routine programme, offering the two-dose vaccine to girls from the age of 12 to their 18th birthday. The latest figures from Public Health England (PHE) show that over 10 million doses of the HPV vaccine have been given to young women in the UK, with more than 80% of women aged 15-24 having received the vaccine. Between 2010 and 2016, HPV infections – HPV types 16/18 which account for around 80% of all cervical cancers – in women aged 16 to 21 in England have decreased by 86%.

Meanwhile, a Scottish study found that the vaccine has reduced pre-cancerous cervical disease in women by up to 71%.

The vaccine also protects against genital warts, mainly caused by HPV types 6 and 11. The latest data revealed that, between 2009 and 2017, diagnoses of genital warts fell by 90% in girls aged 15-17 and 70% in boys aged 15-17.

Commenting on the data, head of immunisation at PHE, Mary Ramsay, said: "These results are very promising and mean that in years to come, we can expect to see significant decreases in cervical cancer.

"The study also reminds us how important it is to keep vaccination rates high to reduce the spread of this preventable infection.

"I encourage all parents of girls aged 12 to 13 to make sure they take up the offer for this potentially life-saving vaccine."

Reports suggest that the vaccine may also be extended to teenage boys. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has reportedly informed health ministers that vaccinating boys will be cost-effective.

A spokeswoman from the Department of Health and Social Care told the BBC that it would not confirm the reports but that any advice from the JCVI would be "carefully considered" once received.

Professor Mark Lawler, dean of Education at the Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology at Queen's University Belfast, commented: "Head and neck cancer is one of the fastest growing cancers in the UK, so why can't we have a vaccine that protects boys as well as girls?

"Yes, some boys are protected if there is a high rate of girls getting vaccinated, but in areas where there is a low take-up rate, then that immunity is not going to happen.

"Many countries now vaccinate both girls and boys, including Canada which has a similar health system to the UK."

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