The goal is 2030. For that year the goal is to eradicate all Hpv virus tumors: cervical cancer, the fifth most frequent in women under 50, but also others related to the virus: oropharynx , anus, penis, vulva and vagina. How? By increasing vaccination coverage against HPV, implementing screening campaigns, intervening early on tumor lesions and keeping other types of cancer related to the virus under control. These are the cornerstones of the Italian response to the WHO call, which in 2018 defined the eradication of tumors caused by HPV as a public health goal to be achieved by 2030, followed by the EU, which included that same goal. in Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan.
Towards an HPV free world
The national strategy for an HPV Free world is articulated in the document published in the Quaderni of the Italian Journal of Public Health presented on May 31, the last day of the European week against cancer, to the Ministry of Health by Vihtali, a spin off of the Catholic University of Sacred Heart of Rome. “The study has a fundamental value for our country and is in line with the international plans for the fight against cancer as well as with the recommendation No. 3 of the Mission Board for Cancer: develop and implement effective health strategies and policies for the prevention of cancer. “, He says Walter Ricciardiwho is president of the Mission Board for Cancer.
HPV: how many throat cancers could be avoided?
by Tina Simoniello
December 23, 2021
Primary prevention: lifetime free vaccines
“It is necessary – he says Giovanna Elisa Calabròresearcher in Public Health at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome, co-responsible for the project with Rose De Vincenzohead of the Pregio Clinic (Youth Prevention) of the University Hospital e Chiara de Waureassociate professor in Hygiene at the University of Perugia – keep the vaccine free of charge for life for those who have returned to the target, activate catch-up programs and offer free anti-HPV vaccination to women of childbearing age, implement usable awareness campaigns (apps, videos, posts, HPV chat, etc …) and health and sexuality education interventions in schools, involve more professionals in anti-Hpv vaccination (gynecologists, general practitioners, hygienists and other specialists), increase anti-Hpv vaccination coverage in adolescents and recovering delays in vaccination linked to the pandemic with targeted and more effective interventions in those regions where vaccination compliance is low “.
Hpv, a blood test can predict throat cancer recurrence
by Mara Magistroni
February 28, 2022
In our country, vaccination against HPV is recommended for girls and boys during their 12th year of life, i.e. before they become sexually active (HPV is a sexually transmitted infection) and in this age group it is offered free of charge anywhere in the country. In some regions the offer is free even for those over 12 years old. Vaccination against the papillomavirus protects against the virus responsible for cervical cancer, but also from other types of cancer caused by the bad strains of the microorganism, which are 12. The vaccine can prevent about 90% of HPV-induced neoplasms.
The anti-Covid model can help
The optimal threshold for vaccination coverage for HPV in girls, as required by the National Vaccine Prevention Plan, is 95% in the twelfth year. But we are far from those numbers. However, the preliminary data on the HPV vaccination of 2021, anticipated by Gianni Rezza, Director General of Prevention of the Ministry of Health, who presented them on May 31 in Rome, indicate that we are recovering from the pandemic. “For the court of boys born in 2008, for the second dose in females, we are around 53.6%. For the 2009 cohort we are around 32%. Basically we see an increasing trend compared to the previous year, when we a reduction was recorded. We are satisfied because we do not lose any more, we tend to recover a little – said the expert – As for the males of the 2008 cohort, with the complete cycle we are around 44%, and for the court 2009 around 27%: in this case we are in line with the previous year “. “We should be committed to a greater recovery”, added Rezza, recalling that “during Covid the other vaccinations suffered, in particular, the adolescent vaccinations”.
Lower perception of risk
To support this vaccination “a particular commitment is necessary also because the perception of risk is lower than that of Covid, therefore also the demand for the vaccine is lower. Apply models that have proved successful in vaccination against Sars-Cov-2 also HPV could certainly be of help. In addition – he concluded – information and training campaigns are good, even if the results must be evaluated. Finally, it is necessary to strengthen the direct relationship of trust between health professionals and targets “.
Cervical cancer: HPV kills a thousand women every year
by Irma D’Aria
04 March 2022
Screening and ad hoc paths
In addition to vaccination, for an Hpv Free Italy it is also a priority to act on secondary prevention, i.e. oncological screening. How Chiara de Waure explained it: “Apply standardized PDTAs (PDTAs are diagnostic, therapeutic and care pathways, ed), dedicated to the positive woman at the screening test, implement reminder tools (to remember appointments) and self-collection, increase adherence to organized screening and recover delays in screening related to the pandemic, improve the collection of epidemiological data on screening indicators and encourage the collection of new data (for example, incidence of preneoplastic lesions) “.
Region you go screening you find
With us, cervical cancer screening is offered free of charge to women in different ways depending on the region. The Pap-Test (which is a cytological test and detects possibly modified cells) is offered free of charge every 3 years to women between the ages of 25 and 30, while the HPV-Dna-Test (the test that detects the presence of viral DNA) it is performed every 5 years at 30-64 year olds. The HPV-Test is becoming the first level diagnostic test in all regions.
Early interventions on women with injuries
The third pillar of the Italian solution to the elimination of cervical cancer is the early treatment of HPV-related lesions. Among the priority actions for Rosa De Vincenzo, there is for example that of “applying PDTAs dedicated to women with cervical lesions, implementing post-treatment adjuvant vaccination – that is, vaccinating women who have had and already treated tumors – monitor the times waiting for the treatment of cervical HPV lesions, integrate and share data between level III screening centers and centers that do treatment outside, improve data communication (for example through IT platforms between general practitioners and specialists ), to foster greater professional integration and the patient’s protected and mediated access to specialist centers “.
Cervical cancer, one dose of vaccine is enough to save a woman
by Donatella Zorzetto
April 11, 2022
Beyond the uterus there is (much) more
HPV is responsible for the most common sexually transmitted infection in both sexes, about 90% of the population comes in contact with the human papillomavirus in the course of life through sexual intercourse. But if all cervical cancers (99%) are due to this virus, some cancers of the anus, vulva, vagina, penis and oropharynx are also due to the human papillomavirus. Just to give an idea: in Italy there are about 1900 cases of oropharynx cancer per year, for men it is the site where 40% of all Hpv-related cancers develop, and, again every year, 1200 tumors at the vulva are attributable to the same microorganism.
Targeted actions on other Hpv-related tumors
Numbers that explain well why, according to the expert authors of the study, actions aimed at controlling other HPV-related tumors are also necessary. Which, for Giovanna Elisa Calabrò, are “implementing health education interventions on HPV-related cancers, including the strategies for eliminating cervical cancer and HPV-related cancers in the national planning documents (for example the National Prevention Plan Vaccinale, the National Oncology Plan), create dedicated HPV Units that involve various specialist figures who are experts in HPV-related diseases, prepare a single prevention registry, extend anti-HPV vaccination “.
Technological innovation
To eliminate cervical cancer and control other Hpv-related tumors, our NHS will have to use all available means, focusing “above all on technological innovation in favor of effective interventions and best practices aimed at a further reduction, over the years, of ‘incidence of these tumors. Certainly international and European indications have great value – concludes Ricciardi – but it will be the actions and policies of each state, in addition to the interaction and comparison of multi-stakeholder groups, that will play a fundamental role in achieving ‘global goal of elimination of cervical cancer and all other Hpv-related cancers “.
How much we know about HPV: little
A MSD-sponsored Ipsos study of 7111 fathers and mothers of children under the age of 21 in Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and Slovenia between 28 March and 7 April 2022 reveals that only 73% of European fathers and mothers are aware of the HPV virus, 4% more than was detected in 2019. But one in 5 does not know that the human papilloma virus can cause cancer. Furthermore, the survey says that only 1 in 2 parents among those who are aware of HPV (55%) feel truly informed about the virus and Italy is the country where there is greater awareness. 68% of European parents admit that following the pandemic, they have become more inclined to guarantee their child proper vaccination protection for conditions other than Sars-cov-2. 61% say that thanks to Covid they are more informed about vaccinations.