Updated Meta-Analysis Shows Real-World Impact of HPV Vaccination
Published August 2019 | The Lancet
A systematic review of 65 studies involving data from 60 million people in 14 high-income nations reveals that a decade of vaccination efforts against human papillomavirus (HPV) shows “compelling evidence” of direct benefit from the vaccine—and a herd protection effect in areas with high vaccination rates.
The analysis was produced by the HPV Vaccination Impact Study Group, an investigator collaborative that includes HPV epidemiology expert Jessica Kahn, MD, MPH. “For this analysis, we contributed data from Cincinnati that we have been collecting every three years since 2006 to examine the real-world impact of HPV vaccine introduction, and the meta-analysis findings mirror what we have found in Cincinnati,” says Kahn, director, Division of Adolescent and Transition Medicine.
The meta-analysis reports several powerful findings:
- HPV 16 and HPV 18 decreased 83% in girls ages 13 to 19 and 66% in women ages 20 to 24 after 5 to 8 years of vaccination.
- A 54% reduction occurred in three other HPV types (31, 33, and 45) in girls age 13 to 19, supporting cross-protection against HPV types genetically related to vaccine types.
- Incidence of anogenital warts declined in girls and women from ages 15 to 29 and in boys and men ages 15 to 24.
- Within 5 to 9 years post-vaccination, precancerous lesions decreased 51% in girls ages 15 to 19 and 31% in women ages 20 to 24.
“This analysis was the first to present estimates of the population-level impact of HPV vaccination on pre-cancers and the benefits of vaccinating multiple cohorts of girls and achieving high rates of vaccination coverage,” Kahn says. “If public health leaders follow the World Health Organization’s call to optimize HPV vaccination as well as cancer screening and treatment, elimination of cervical cancer is within our reach.”
