According to the latest research published by World Health Organization (WHO) in 2022, a single dose of the Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine effectively prevents cervical cancers in women. This new finding will bring a new revolution in cervical cancer prevention and elimination.
What is cervical cancer?
Cervical cancer is the uncontrollable growth of the cervix’s cells, the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina. It occurs due to the DNA mutation in these cervical cells. If cervical cancer detects early and treated promptly, it has a better prognosis.
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common tumor in women globally and is more common in countries with low and middle-income statuses. It is due to the limited access to public health services and lack of screening and treatment for the disease, which makes it a global concern.
What is the relation between cervical cancer and HPV?
Most cervical cancers (nearly 95%) occur due to the Human papillomavirus (a sexually-transmitted infection). Human papillomavirus infection is the most common reproductive tract infection. It is a group of numerous (more than 200) related virus strands, in which more than 40 viruses have the power to transmit through direct sexual contact. Among these 40 viruses, two HPV can cause genital warts, and a few can be causative pathogens for cervical, anal, penile, oropharyngeal, vaginal, and vulvar cancer.
Cervical cancer commonly occurs in people who are sexually more active or have multiple partners. Although most HPV infections and precancerous lesions resolve themselves, they put women at a higher risk of developing cervical cancers.
How does the HPV vaccine work?
The HPV vaccines contain virus-like particles (VLPs). VLPs are present on HPV surface components. These VLPs don’t cause any infection, but the antibodies produce against these also protect us from the human papillomavirus. The VLPs containing vaccines are powerful immunogenic and induce prominent antibody production in our body.
The preventive vaccines are highly effective and produce antibodies to protect against future HPV infections in our bodies. These vaccines do not treat existing HPV infections or other HPV-related diseases.
What is the global strategy for cervical cancer elimination?
As a part of the global campaign to eliminate cervical cancer, WHO Director-General announced a call for action in May 2018. And in August 2020, the World Health Assembly accepted this campaign as the Global Strategy for cervical cancer elimination.
According to this campaign, for cervical cancer eradication, all the countries should reach a cancer incidence rate below four per 100000 women and maintain this rate. Every country should achieve the 90-70-90 goals by the end of 2030 to reach the goal, which includes:
- Vaccination: 90% of all the girl populations receive HPV vaccine by the age of 15 year
- Screening: 70% of women must screen for cervical cancer by the age of 35 years and re-screen till the age of 45 years.
- Treatment: 90% of women suffering from precancerous conditions get treatment, and 90% of women having invasive cancer should receive appropriate management.
Benefits of HPV vaccination
The HPV vaccine is preventive medication and doesn’t cure any disease. The following are some benefits of HPV vaccination:
- This vaccine is very effective in cervical cancer prevention caused by high-risk strains of the human papillomavirus if the girls and women get the vaccination before virus exposure.
- The HPV vaccination in males can also help protect females from cervical cancer by decreasing the chances of transmission of the HPV
- HPV vaccination provides long-term protection from cervical, vaginal, vulvar, oral, throat, and neck cancer.
- Cost-effective
How does a single dose of HPV vaccine helpful in eliminating cervical cancer?
According to the latest innovation in cervical cancer prevention, a single dose of the human papillomavirus vaccine effectively protects against various cancer-causing HPV infections. The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on immunization (SAGE) has evaluated this and stated that a single dose of HPV vaccine provides comparable efficacy to the two or three-dose regimen.
This latest discovery will be helpful in the prevention and elimination of cervical cancer globally, as the vaccine is more accessible and cost-effective, especially in the low and middle-income groups. With the help of awareness about the HPV vaccine’s role in cervical cancer, the campaign for cancer prevention will be effective.
Dr. Satinder Kaur, Senior Consultant – Gynaecology – Oncology, Oncology | Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Delhi