A single dose of vaccine is enough to make a difference in the fight against cervical cancer. A single dose against Papillomavirus (Hpv). And this is even more true, especially in those contexts in which access to vaccination and vaccination boosters is particularly difficult. This is highlighted by a group of American and African researchers in a study conducted by the Kenya Medical Research Institute and published in NEJM Evidencewho looked at the effects of a single dose of the HPv vaccine on 2,275 sexually active women between the ages of 15 and 20 in Kenya.
The study conducted in Kenya
The researchers divided the women into three groups, subjecting each group to vaccination treatment: one part received a bivalent vaccine covering two Hpv strains (16/18) representing 70% of cases; a second group received a vaccine covering nine Hpv strains representing 90% of cases; finally, the control group was given the meningococcal vaccine.
Verification of the results was done after 18 months. In particular, the researchers evaluated the level of protection in the three clusters and came to a positive discovery: the bivalent and nonavalent vaccines were 97.5% effective against Hpv 16/18 strains. The nonavalent vaccine also offered 89% additional protection against the other strains.
Only one test to detect 4 female tumors
by Tina Simoniello
A turning point
“These findings are a game changer in the fight against HPV-attributable cervical cancer,” he said Sam Kariuki, acting director general of the Kenya Medical Research Institute -. They demonstrate that single-dose HPV vaccination is a high-value public health intervention within our reach, ”said Sam Kariuki, acting director general of the Kenya Medical Research Institute.
A woman killed by cancer every two minutes
Worldwide, cervical cancer kills one woman every two minutes. Most of these deaths occur in Africa, where 80% of cancer cases are recorded. However, currently, only 15% of women in the world are vaccinated against HPV. For Ruanne Barnabaslead author of the study, “the results could help the World Health Organization reach its goal of vaccinating 90% of 15-year-old girls against HPV by 2030″.
The pandemic is holding back the fight against HPV
In Italy 3 thousand women are affected every year
And in Italy? The balance sheet is no less worrying. More than 3,000 women fall ill and about a thousand die (1,011 in 2020) due to cervical cancer caused by Papillomavirus (HPV). There are effective prevention strategies for HPV-related diseases, but the pandemic has reduced both the number of screenings and vaccination coverage. The Report reveals it “Papillomavirus: fight against tumors. For a culture of prevention“presented by Censis on the occasion of the International Day against HPV, which was celebrated on 4 March.
Cervical screening, cover drops
The research highlights, in particular, how cervical screening coverage among women between the ages of 25 and 64 has gone from 81% in 2019 to 77.3% in 2020. And even vaccination coverage for the complete cycle falls, passing from 41.6% in 2019 to 30.3% in 2020 among 11-year-old girls and from 32.2% to 24.2% among boys.
However, the share of parents who say they are determined to vaccinate at least one child against the Papillomavirus is growing: they have risen from 33.3% in 2017 to 43.3% in 2019 up to 46.1% today (the National Vaccine Prevention Plan 2017-2019 has extended the free indication to males).
The pandemic is holding back the fight against HPV
Interest in vaccination is growing
Compared to 2019, the number of people interested in anti-HPV vaccination who have not yet vaccinated their children also increased: they went from 25.4% to 28.1%. At the same time, parents who say they are not interested in vaccination are decreasing (they were 30.6% in 2017, they are 11.3% in 2022). Among the higher age groups, pap smears and Hpv tests were the most performed checks in the last three years (by 62.9% of the women in the sample).
Pap test and Hpv test
In terms of prevention, the Pap test is a well-established tool, known by almost all women. Less well known is the more recent HPv-test, which still only 51.3% of parents are familiar with. 61% of women and mothers interviewed by Censis say they adopt preventive checks such as screenings, examinations and visits even in the absence of symptoms. It is women of more mature age (between 46 and 55 years) who carry out more screening to prevent breast cancer (79.8%) and cervical cancer (67.3%). Finally, 51.5% of parents and 45% of women claim to engage in healthy lifestyles, while 39%, in both cases, say they resort to vaccination.