HPV Vaccine Reduces Risk of Infection-Related Cancers
Vaccinated men and women are at a reduced risk for HPV-related cancers, according to research presented at ASCO 2024.
Getting vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV) can reduce the risk of developing different cancers that are associated with the infection, according to research results presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2024 Annual Meeting, held May 31 to June 4 in Chicago, Illinois.1
HPV Vaccine Reduces Risk of Infection-Related Cancers / guerrieroale - stock.adobe.com
HPV is very common, with around 13 million people becoming infected each year in the United States.2 Most HPV infections, which are spread through intimate skin-to-skin contact, go away on their own. However, some can last longer and can cause different types of cancer, including cervical, penile and oropharyngeal.3 Research has shown the HPV vaccine can reduce the risk of cervical cancer, but there is a lack of data on if it can prevent other forms of cancer.
READ MORE: Pre-, Probiotics May Improve Patient Quality of Life During Immunotherapy
“The CDC reported that in 2022, less than 60% of children ages 15-17 had been vaccinated for HPV, suggesting that a large portion of the population is more vulnerable to HPV infection and, in turn, more vulnerable to the development of HPV-related cancers,” Jefferson DeKloe, lead author on the study, said in a release.1 “Identifying effective interventions that increase HPV-vaccination rates is critical in reducing undue cancer burden in the United States.”
Investigators from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia conducted a retrospective cohort study to examine cancer risk in patients who have been vaccinated for HPV. Data was collected from the TriNetX United States Collaborative Network, a network of health care organizations that share data from studies and clinical trials.
The study cohort included 3413007 patients, of which 945999 were women and 760540 were men, between the ages of 9 and 39. Of those, 1706539 received an HPV vaccine between January 2010 and December 2023. The participants were put into 2 cohorts: those who received an HPV vaccine at least 5 years prior and those who had no history of HPV vaccination. The main study outcome was head and neck, cervix, anus and anal canal, penis, vulva, or vagina malignancies.
Investigators found that males vaccinated for HPV had a reduced risk of developing HPV-related cancers, particularly head and neck cancer. Females vaccinated for HPV also had a reduced risk of developing cancer overall, as well as for cervical cancer. Additionally, in females, the risk of head and neck, and vulvar or vaginal cancer was not significantly different between the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups.
“We have known the HPV vaccine decreases rates of oral HPV infection, but this study shows that in boys and men in particular, vaccination decreases the risk of HPV-related oropharyngeal head and neck cancers,” Glenn J. Hanna, MD, director of the Center for Cancer Therapeutic Innovation at the Center for Head and Neck Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer institute, said in a release.1 “HPV vaccination is cancer prevention.”
READ MORE: ASCO 2024 Annual Meeting Coverage
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