Mass. — September is Gynecological Cancer Awareness Month. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women, with 60,000 new cases of the disease in 2022.
A UK study recently published in The Lancet provides strong evidence that the HPV vaccine is a powerful preventive tool.
The study looked at the number of cervical cancer deaths that occurred between 2000 and 2024. The data was broken down into five-year periods, with a graph indicating how much of the population had received the HPV vaccine.
The vaccine targets specific strains of the human papillomavirus. A school-based HPV vaccine program took effect in England in 2008, vaccinating girls between the ages of 12 and 13. Nearly 90 percent received at least one dose.
A catch-up program for girls between the ages of 14 and 18 was implemented soon after. When researchers looked at the data from those same populations between 2020 and 2024, they discovered no deaths from cervical cancer had occurred.
“There were no deaths related to cervical cancer. The study basically showed that the vaccine essentially saved 200 lives. There were expected cases of about 200; there were zero,” explained Dr. Ursula Matulonis. Matulonis is the Chief of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. And while she wasn’t surprised by the study’s findings, she still has concerns about a global lack of access to preventative care. Worldwide, Matulonis said the World Health Organization anticipates there will be one million cases of cervical cancer by 2050.
The outlook may be slightly better in Massachusetts. “The World Health Organization has basically said they want to see four cases or below per 100,000 women. Massachusetts right now is 4.3,” Matulonis said. But that’s not the case everywhere.
“It is still unfortunately a rather common problem in the United States affecting younger patients. Younger patients who are just starting their lives, want to raise a family, have children. And that disease can take that away.”
That’s a reality Eileen Lind knows too well. Her sister Maureen was just 34 years old when she was diagnosed with stage 2 cervical cancer, soon after the birth of her second child. She received a radical hysterectomy and chemotherapy at Dana-Farber, and lived in remission for three years. “She started having some back pain and some hip pain, and it turned out that it came back metastatically,” Lind said. Maureen lost her battle just six months later.
The HPV vaccine had only recently been approved by the FDA at the time. “She wanted her daughter, her daughter at that point was nine years old, she wanted her to get the vaccine when she was old enough.” Lind has turned her sister’s death into an advocacy mission. Team Maureen works to end cervical cancer through education about HPV and the importance of early detection and prevention. Including the vaccine at the center of this study. “It can make a difference, and my sister, I really think, could have been alive now to see her children grow old, and unfortunately she’s not.”
The HPV vaccine is on the list of recommended childhood vaccines for girls and boys. It can be given as early as age nine, and into early adulthood.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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