Some really good news has emerged from this year’s annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research: a single shot of the human papillomavirus (HPV)vaccine is as effective as two shots in preventing HPV infection. These findings, which could have implications for global access to these vaccines, can play a key role in protecting against HPV-related cancers.

HPV is the known cause of six cancers: anal, cervical, oropharyngeal, penile, vaginal, and vulvar cancer.

According to Matthew Harper’s report, researchers from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) shared results from their trial findings conducted among more than 20,000 girls (12-16 years old) in Costa Rica who were administered either a single or the recommended 2 doses of the HPV vaccine. At 4.5 years, the vaccine was >97% effective in preventing HPV infection, irrespective of the number of shots received.

These findings are especially relevant in resource-limited settings because they provide an opportunity for saving lives. Consider these stats: more than 650K women are diagnosed with cervical cancer globally each year and there are a reported 350K deaths from this preventable disease. The World Health Organization recommends a screening strategy (at age 35 and then at 45 years) in combination with vaccination – however, in resource-stretched nations and in regions with access issues, a single vaccine shot seems reasonable and achievable.

“I think this is the most important cancer prevention trial going on in the world. We have a long history of failure in cancer prevention,” said Ned Sharpless, who has led the NCI in the past. “To have such clear evidence to support our practice is terrific and this will make the dissemination of HPV vaccine worldwide much easier and much cheaper to do — and it will save millions of lives.”

Photo credit: Raghavendra V. Konkathi on Unsplash

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