Study: Cervical Cancer Mortality Drops in Young US Women

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Facts

  • According to a study published Wednesday, cervical cancer deaths per year among US women under 25 decreased by 62% from 35 in 2013-2015 to 13 in 2019-2021.[1]
  • The authors hypothesized that vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) has contributed to an 80% reduction in HPV infections among teen girls and young adult women, while cervical pre-cancers caused by the virus have dropped by 40%.[2]
  • The study observed the first women eligible for the vaccine, with the authors noting that immunization alone can't be attributed to the decline as it's unclear how many of those women were, in fact, vaccinated. They also speculated that improved screening tests could have contributed to the decline.[3]
  • Introduced in 2006, the vaccine works by preventing high-risk HPV infections, the most common cause of cervical cancer.[4][5]
  • As of 2022, HPV vaccination rates in the US had reached nearly 77% among adolescents ages 13 to 17, though this falls short of the national goal of 80% coverage.[1][3]
  • However, since the COVID pandemic, HPV vaccination rates have declined from 79.3% in 2022 to 75.9% in 2023.[6]

Sources: [1]Live Science, [2]Newsweek, [3]Science News, [4]WHO, [5]MUSC and [6]JAMA Network.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by WHO. The steep decline in cervical cancer deaths demonstrates the remarkable success of the HPV vaccination program, proving it to be one of the most effective cancer prevention tools ever developed. The vaccine's ability to prevent multiple types of cancer makes it a crucial public health intervention that could lead to the first-ever elimination of a cancer type.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Wiley Online Library. The current vaccination rates remain suboptimal and are declining, putting future generations at unnecessary risk. The pandemic has disrupted vaccination programs, and persistent health inequities mean that the vast majority of cervical cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, showing serious gaps in global cancer prevention efforts.
  • Narrative C, as provided by Science News. While this is promising news, it's misleading to credit the HPV vaccine alone for this decline. There are so many other variables that could have contributed to these numbers, and it's not clear how many of the women in the study were even vaccinated. Further research is needed.

Predictions