The human papillomavirus vaccine prevents cervical cancer

• Cancer What are gynecological tumors?

The work has been carried out on almost

.

After more than a decade of follow-up, those vaccinated against HPV had a much lower risk of developing cervical cancer, especially if they received the vaccine before the age of 17.

The HPV vaccine had already been convincingly shown to prevent genital warts and precancerous lesions, but while there was scientific evidence, strong support was lacking that it also prevents cervical cancer.

This is what the publication of this study in

entails

.

One of its authors, epidemiologist Jiayao Lei, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, states that "it

protects not only against cellular changes that may be precursors of cervical cancer, but also against invasive cervical cancer. "

In the study, the researchers followed nearly 1.7 million women between the ages of 10 and 30 over an 11-year period.

, most before the age of 17.

Of those vaccinated, 19 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer, compared with 538 women among those who were not immunized.

Girls vaccinated before age 17 reduced their risk of cervical cancer by 88%.

When the vaccine was administered between the ages of 17 and 30, the risk was reduced by 53%, always compared to women who were not vaccinated.

"

, probably because they are less likely to have been exposed to HPV infection and because the HPV vaccine has no therapeutic effect against a pre-existing infection," explains the author of the study Pär Sparén, professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Swedish institute.

The data provided has been achieved, according to

, senior consultant of the Research Program in Cancer Epidemiology of the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), in Barcelona, ​​on the basis of a solid methodology.

The study is for this oncologist and epidemiologist, one of the scientists who have contributed to the implementation of the vaccine in the world, "

."

In a turbulent moment for science, which is looking against the clock for answers for the covid-19, while the "anti-vaccines" movement unfolds its arguments, news like this adds evidence in favor of the global benefits of vaccination, reflects the specialist.

"

," he says.

"We have a very effective vaccine, and in the last 13 years, we have vaccinated

. Now we can show that it reduces invasive cancer. From a scientific point of view, it is an essentially resolved question. We are left with the logistical question and policy of producing enough vaccine and delivering it in time to immunize populations. "

Bosch recalls that half of the countries in the world already have it incorporated into their routine vaccination programs, although now they suffer the impact of SARS-CoV-2;

especially in countries with fewer resources where these programs depend on the opening of schools and in which almost all the health effort is now being dedicated to covid-19.

Effectiveness in oncology prevention

The head of the Gynecology Section of the Infanta Leonor University Hospital, in Madrid, also celebrated the publication of this study in NEJM.

states that "in relation to this vaccine, critical voices used to point out that there was no reliable demonstration that it prevents cancer. We

, so it was a matter of time. There was clear evidence of reduction of condylomata and precancerous lesions, and now this article provides new evidence. "

The gynecologist highlights that, according to the study, the ideal thing is to

, but also that there is a benefit if the vaccination is received at a later age.

"It clears the doubts in the face of adult women who have already had sexual intercourse. Also here a reduction in the risk of incidence can be observed; the vaccine represents in this group a reinforcement of other preventive measures, such as screening through cytology."

In Swedish work, if women are taken together

, a figure similar to the protection achieved after that age, which is established at 62%.

"Even vaccinating up to age 30, the incidence of cancer is reduced by 60%", clarifies Bosch.

In

, the average

coverage

, but there are communities such as Castilla y León and the Basque Country that are above 90%, although these figures have been able to experience fluctuations, says De la Fuente, a member of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Association of Cervical Pathology and Colposcopy (AEPCC).

The

has contributed to the high coverage, however, "we have worse data on vaccination outside that schedule ,

" he says, although confident that improve as knowledge spreads about immunization.

High adherence to the vaccine is, for Bosch, "surely enough to create group immunity, thereby offering partial protection to the unvaccinated population."

In a recent study on a Catalan cohort published in

, with Maria Brotons as the first author, a reduction in genital warts is found in vaccinated girls as well as in boys of the same age.

Bosch recalls that there are already 32 countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom and the European Nordic countries, which

.

"It is a trend, since in recent years we have already confirmed that these same viruses are at the origin of oropharyngeal tumors, which affect men in a greater proportion than women. In the United States, to cite one example, the mortality from this type of tumor is already higher than that caused by neck cancer ".

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