The HPV Vaccine Protects Against Cancers Beyond Cervical Cancer

Vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) is an effective way to prevent HPV infection and cancers commonly caused by HPV, including cervical and head and neck cancers.

An analysis highlighted at a press conference before the ASCO 2024 Congress found that HPV-vaccinated men had a 56% lower risk of head and neck cancer .

Meeting moderator and ASCO president Dr. Lynn Schuchter said, "We have long known that the HPV vaccine can prevent HPV infection, yes, but more importantly cancer, especially cervical cancer. This is a really important study that broadens our knowledge of the vaccine's effects."

Using the United States TriNetX database, researchers created matched study groups consisting of 761 thousand HPV-vaccinated and unvaccinated men and 946 thousand HPV-vaccinated and unvaccinated women.

HPV-associated cancers are shown below:

Study Results

Compared with unvaccinated men, HPV-vaccinated men had a 54% lower risk of all HPV-associated cancers (odds ratio [OR], 0.46; P < 0.001) and a 56% lower risk of head and neck cancers (OR, 0.44; P < 0.001). There were insufficient anal and penile cancer cases for analysis.

Compared with unvaccinated women, HPV-vaccinated women had a 27% lower risk of all HPV-associated cancers (OR, 0.73; P < 0.05), a 54% lower risk of cervical cancer (OR, 0.46; P < 0.05), and a 33% lower risk of head and neck cancers. The latter finding was not significant (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.42-1.08). There were insufficient anal cancer cases for analysis, and the likelihood of developing vulvar or vaginal cancer did not differ significantly between vaccinated and unvaccinated women.

However, vaccinated women were less likely than unvaccinated women to develop high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (OR, 0.44), cervical carcinoma in situ (OR, 0.42), or abnormal Pap findings (OR, 0.87), and were less likely to undergo conization or LEEP (loop electrosurgical excision procedure) (OR, 0.45).

This Study Really Highlights the Importance of HPV Vaccination

HPV vaccination is one of the most effective ways to prevent cancer.

Nevertheless, HPV vaccination rates remain relatively low in many countries, including the United States. According to the United States National Cancer Institute, only about 58% of adolescents aged 13-15 had received the recommended two or three HPV vaccine doses in 2022.

Note: 2 vaccine doses are considered sufficient for ages 9-15, while 3 doses are recommended after age 15.

The aim is to vaccinate young girls and boys to prevent HPV infection, which, as we have seen, reduces cancer risk.

Identifying effective interventions to improve HPV vaccination rates is crucial to reducing the unnecessary burden of cancer.