HPV Vaccine Reduces Cases of Precancerous Lesions

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Cervical cancer is considered the fourth most common cancer in women and the seventh over-all cause of cancer worldwide. Due to its prevalence, research on vaccines are being conducted on a regular basis. A recent study shows more evidence that HPV (Human Papillomavirus) could lessen the occurrence of cervical cancer in American women.

HealthDay News reports that there has been a recent decline among a number of young American women with cancerous cervical tissue changes. Susan Hariri of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that early screening or incorporation of the HPV vaccine can be the cause of the trend change.

HPV infection can cause more than half of high-grade cervical lesions, and is the reason why the HPV vaccination was introduced in 2008 for girls ages 9 to 12, for prevention purposes. The research team, which was led by Hariri, noticed that between the years 2008 and 2012, there has been a dramatic decline of high-grade cervical lesions among women ages 18 to 20 and a slightly lower decrease among women ages 21 to 24.

While studies do not verify if vaccines like Gardasil and Cervarix are actually able to lower cases of cervical cancer, Forbes reported that Gardasil 9 was able to protect against nine strains of HPV. A study that has been conducted last year regarding the duration of effectivity of Gardasil also states that the vaccine is found to be effective for eight years after the last dose.

Whether they should get the vaccine or not is still a continuous debate among people. According to Longevity Live, the World Health Organization (WHO) explains that HPV infections can clear up without interventions after a few months of getting infected, and most precancerous lesions resolve spontaneously. However, there is still a risk that the HPV infection may become chronic, and precancerous lesions progress to invasive malignant cancer.

Declaring that HPV vaccination is the only solution to stop HPV infection is not a guarantee, but with studies being conducted today showing reduced cases of precancerous lesions, one might argue that it is better to take all necessary precautions to prevent cervical cancer acquisition.

HPV vaccination has helped decrease the incidence of cervical cancer in the world but a further study should be conducted to confirm the impact of vaccines in women. While the efficiency and effectivity of the HPV vaccines has been proven, the long-term results and possible health risks are yet to discovered.