Don't forget to get vaccinated against the papilloma virus

HPV vaccinations and cancer risk. New research

Julia Korowski, N+1 based on the materials of the University of New Mexico: New Research Shows HPV Vaccine Reduces Cervical Pre-Cancers In Young Women

Human papillomavirus (HPV) can lead to the development of cervical cancer and throat cancer. This can be avoided if you get vaccinated against HPV before contracting the virus. A new study published in the journal JAMA Oncology has shown that the HPV vaccine effectively reduces the risk of developing precancerous cervical diseases in young women.

A Pap test (Pap test), known to most as a cytological smear, is a test that allows you to detect precancerous or cancerous cells in the vagina and cervix. The researchers studied the data on the registration of Pap smears in New Mexico (New Mexico Human Papillomavirus Pap Registry), a state program that deals with the prevention and diagnosis of cervical cancer. They received information about women who did a Pap test and biopsy after the HPV vaccine appeared, from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2014. Scientists found that among the participants of the program, the incidence of cervical dysplasia (DSM) – structural changes in the structure of the mucous membrane that can lead to the development of cancer – significantly decreased in 2007-2014. Among girls aged 15 to 19 years, the incidence of grade 1 DSM fell from 3,468 to 1,590 cases per 100,000 people, grade 2 DSM – from 896 to 414, grade 3 DSM – from 240 to 0. In women aged 20-24, the incidence of grade 2 DSM decreased from 1,027 to 627.

Vaccination of women in New Mexico began in 2007, shortly after the HPV vaccine was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In 2008, 48% of girls aged 13-17 were vaccinated at least once, 17% did all three necessary vaccinations. By 2014, this figure had increased to 59% (one vaccination) and 40% (three). Scientists suggest that several factors influenced the decrease in the incidence of cervical cancer. One of them is cross–immunity, that is, the ability of the vaccine to protect even from those types of HPV that its action is not directly directed at. The second is the effectiveness of less than three doses of the vaccine. The third factor is population immunity. Vaccination of boys also contributes to it: in 2009, HPV vaccines were licensed for use in the male part of the population.

"These data show a significant decrease in the development of precancerous conditions in the entire population of young women, including both those who have been vaccinated and those who have not been vaccinated," explains Cosette Wheeler, one of the authors of the study. The New Mexico state government is working to expand the HPV vaccination program.

Population (collective) immunity is the effect of resistance to the spread of infection in a certain population, some of whose members have personal immunity to it. To stop the transmission of infection, it is not necessary to immunize the entire population; for infections that are transmitted from person to person, it is enough that a certain part of it acquires immunity. When there are few susceptible to infection, the circulation of the pathogen stops.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  03.10.2016