HPV Vaccines

HPV Vaccine Booster Could Reduce Cervical Lesions

Karen McClorey Hackett — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 17:39:13 +0000

Reviewer:

While the introduction of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines has revolutionized cervical cancer prevention, related diseases have not been eliminated.

New research on the role of HPV vaccination offers keen insights into the recurrence of HPV-related diseases in women undergoing surgical treatment.

Women who develop high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) are susceptible to infection with HPV and can rapidly re-acquire infections after local surgical treatment.

Published by The British Medical Journal on August 5, 2022, this systematic review and meta-analysis found that to help reduce precancerous cervical lesions, an injection of the new HPV vaccine during surgery may help prevent future lesions.

The primary outcome measure was the risk of recurrence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or higher (CIN2+) after local surgical treatment.

The analysis showed the risk of recurrence of high-grade, pre-invasive disease was reduced by 57% in vaccinated women.

And this vaccination benefit was most observable when related to HPV16 or HPV18 infections.

These HPV-vaccinated women saw a 74% reduction in precancerous lesions.

However, evidence was lacking on the benefit of HPV vaccination for recurrence of vulvar, vaginal, or anal intraepithelial lesions, genital warts, or for incident or persistent HPV infections, although the data were scarce with small numbers of studies and participants.

These researchers concluded that 'Women who have been treated for high-grade CIN have a lifelong residual high risk of cervical cancer and other malignancies related to HPV infection.'

New strategies to reduce the risk in these women might shorten and simplify screening programs and eliminate cervical cancer more rapidly.

But, large, appropriately powered randomized controlled trials are required to establish the effectiveness of adjuvant HPV vaccination at the time of local surgical treatment of CIN.

Given that the incidence of recurrence of high-grade disease is low in quality assured national screening programs, such as in the UK, absolute risks and a cost-effectiveness analysis would be important in determining the implementation strategy of HPV vaccination after treatment.

The NOVEL (Nonavalent Prophylactic HPV Vaccine (Gardasil 9) After Local Conservative) trial, an ongoing, large, appropriately powered randomized controlled trial, is expected to report results and give further insight on the effect of Gardasil9 on the persistent incident, recurrent, and prevalent HPV infections and cost-effectiveness.

The Gardasil9 vaccine consists of HPV proteins, Types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58.

If the study reports benefit, the results could apply to women with multifocal disease, other diseases related to HPV infection, and individuals with a diagnosis of malignancies associated with HPV infection.

In total, 22 articles met the review's inclusion criteria; 18 of these studies also reported data from a non-vaccinated group and were included in the meta-analyses (12 observational studies, two randomized controlled trials, and four post hoc analyses of randomized controlled trials).

This work was supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Imperial Healthcare NHS Trust NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, and others. These researchers did not disclose industry-related conflicts of interest.

Additional HPV vaccine news is posted at PrecisionVaccinations.com/HPV.

PrecisionVaccinations publishes fact-checked, research-based vaccine news curated for mobile readership.

Updated on Jan. 19, 2023 for the picture.

Sub Title:

HPV vaccine during surgery helped reduce precancerous cervical lesions

References:

Role of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination on HPV infection and recurrence of HPV related disease after local surgical treat

Nonavalent Prophylactic HPV Vaccine (GARDASIL9) After Local Conservative The NOVEL Trial (NOVEL)

Image:

Google News Keywords:

health, vaccines, vaccinations, hpv, cervical cancer, cervical lesions, hpv cancers, gardasil 9, gardasil

Featured:

Fact checked:

Sunday, August 14, 2022 - 23:15

Image Caption:

by Manuel Alvarez

HPV Vaccinations Can Prevent Anal Cancer

Karen McClorey Hackett — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 17:18:57 +0000

Reviewer:

Robert Carlson, MD

Holly Lutmer PharmD

A large clinical trial of people living with HIV has found that treating anal precancerous growths known as high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) reduces the chance that anal cancer will develop by over 50%.

Nearly all cases of anal cancer are caused by infection of anal cells with cancer-causing types of human papillomavirus (HPV).

Although HPV vaccination can prevent new anal HPV infections, no evidence-based recommendations are currently available to guide screening for and treating anal HSIL.

Results from the Anal Cancer/HSIL Outcomes Research (ANCHOR) study were published on June 16, 2022, as an Original Article by the New England Journal of Medicine peer-reviewed journal.

With a median follow-up of 25.8 months, 9 cases were diagnosed in the treatment group and 21 in the active-monitoring group. The rate of progression to anal cancer was lower in the treatment group than in the active-monitoring group by 57% (95% CI, 6 to 80; P=0.03 by log-rank test).

“We've now shown for the first time that treating anal HSIL is effective at reducing the incidence of anal cancer in a very high-risk group of people — people living with HIV,” commented Joel Palefsky, M.D., of the University of California, San Francisco, in a press statement.

Anal cancer is relatively rare in the general population, the incidence of anal cancer in the general population is 1.6 per 100,000.

However, it is the fourth most common cancer among people living with HIV. The incidence of anal cancer is estimated to be 89 per 100,000 among men living with HIV who have sex with men and between 18.6 and 35.6 per 100,000 among women living with HIV.

If the immune system does not fight off the infection, the lingering infection can cause the cells to become progressively more abnormal, ultimately developing into HSIL and, in some cases, into anal cancer, stated these researchers.

This progression is similar to what is seen in cervical cancer, which is also caused by HPV.

Routine screening for cervical cancer with HPV and/or Pap testing and removing cervical HSIL has been shown to prevent many cases of cervical cancer. However, it has been unclear whether the treatment of anal HSIL found through screening similarly prevents anal cancer.

Moreover, the treatment of anal HSIL is more challenging than the treatment of cervical HSIL, and recurrences are common.

The ANCHOR study is the first randomized controlled trial to determine whether treating anal HSIL is a safe and effective strategy for reducing the progression of HSIL to anal cancer. The National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, funded the trial. No industry conflicts of interest were disclosed.

PrecisionVaccinations publishes fact-checked, research-based HPV vaccine news curated for mobile readership.

Sub Title:

Anal cancer risk significantly lowered with treatment for anal high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions

References:

Treatment of Anal High-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions to Prevent Anal Cancer

Topical or Ablative Treatment in Preventing Anal Cancer in Patients With HIV and Anal High-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion

In people with HIV, treating precancerous anal lesions cuts risk of anal cancer by more than half

HPV Vaccines

Image:

Google News Keywords:

health, vaccines, vaccinations, anal cancer, high grade squamous, hpv, hiv

Featured:

Fact checked:

Thursday, June 30, 2022 - 20:30

Image Caption:

by 小杰蟹

Cervical Cancer Becoming Rare in the UK

Don Hackett — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 17:59:39 +0000

Reviewer:

Robert Carlson, MD

After decades of research, the United Kingdom (UK) launched a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine program for teenage girls in 2008.

A new study published by The Lancet on November 3, 2021, shows the HPV vaccine dramatically reduces cervical cancer rates by almost 90% in women in their 20s who were offered the vaccine beginning at age 12.

These researchers estimated that the HPV vaccination program prevented around 450 cervical cancers and about 17,200 cases of precancerous conditions over an 11 year period. The research team looked at all cervical cancers diagnosed in England in women aged 20 to 64 between January 2006 and June 2019.

The HPV vaccine is most effective when given between the ages of 11 and 13 when someone is less likely to have been exposed to HPV.

“It’s a historic moment to see the first study showing that the HPV vaccine has and will continue to protect thousands of women from developing cervical cancer,” stated Michelle Mitchell, Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, in a related press statement.

“Cancer Research UK has been funding research in this area for many years, and we’ve been eagerly awaiting these results since the introduction of the vaccination program.”

“Around 850 women die from cervical cancer each year in the UK, so we have the chance to save many lives.”

Almost all cervical cancers are caused by HPV – a link proved more than 20 years ago by Cancer Research UK scientists, overturning previous studies that had underestimated the link.

The HPV vaccine protects against the main cancer-causing strains of the virus: HPV 16 and 18. Protecting people against the infection helps to prevent abnormal changes in cervical cells, leading to fewer cases of cervical cancer.

But as the vaccine was only introduced in the 2000s, it hasn’t been possible until recently to say the vaccine reduces cases of cervical cancer itself – the ultimate goal of the vaccination program.

This study, based at King’s College London and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), and the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS), is the first of its kind to focus on the UK vaccination program.

And the first-ever to analyze the effectiveness of the bivalent cervical cancer vaccine (Ceravix).

The vaccine reduced cervical cancer incidence by 34% in those who received it aged 16 to 18, by 62% if aged 14 to 16, and by 90% in those who were vaccinated aged 12 to 13.

Professor Peter Sasieni, the lead author from King’s College London, says: “It’s been incredible to see the impact of HPV vaccination, and now we can prove it prevented hundreds of women from developing cancer in England.”

“We’ve known for many years that HPV vaccination is very effective in preventing particular strains of the virus, but to see the real-life impact of the vaccine has been truly rewarding.”

“Assuming most people continue to get the HPV vaccine and go for screening, cervical cancer will become a rare disease.”

“These data show that vaccination works in preventing some cancers.”

The HPV virus is also linked to vaginal, vulval, anal, penile, and some head and neck cancers.

Dr. Vanessa Saliba, a Consultant Epidemiologist for UKHSA, said: “These remarkable findings confirm that the HPV vaccine saves lives by dramatically reducing cervical cancer rates among women.”

“This reminds us that vaccines are one of the most important tools we have to help us live longer, healthier lives.”

There are different types of HPV vaccines authorized globally.

PrecisionVaccinations publishes fact-check-research-based vaccine news.

Sub Title:

HPV vaccination reduced cervical cancer rates in the UK

References:

The effects of the national HPV vaccination programme in England, UK, on cervical cancer and grade 3 cervical intraepithelial

“The power of science”: HPV vaccine proven to dramatically reduce cervical cancer

HPV Vaccines

Image:

Age Groups:

7 10 years