HPV vaccinations help prevent cervical cancer and precancerous alterations, particularly when administered to young people before their exposure to the virus, according to two recent evaluations.

A review published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews found that all HPV vaccines were effective in preventing infections that can lead to cancer and other HPV-related conditions, with no evidence of serious safety concerns.

The first review, which focused on randomised controlled trials that included 60 studies with 157,414 participants, also reported that HPV vaccines are likely to cause only minor, transient side effects, such as a sore arm.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a family of common viruses; while many types of HPV are harmless, other “high-risk” types can cause cancers of the cervix, anus, penis, vulva, vagina, and throat, and others cause anogenital warts.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide and causes more than 300,000 deaths each year, mostly in low- and middle-income countries. The new reviews confirm that vaccination against HPV can prevent most of these cancers from developing.

The second review analysed evidence from 225 studies involving more than 132 million people across multiple countries. It showed that HPV vaccination clearly reduces the risk of developing cervical cancer and precancerous changes of the cervix.

Importantly, the review found no evidence to support claims that HPV vaccination increases the risk of serious adverse events. By cross-referencing alleged adverse events with real-world follow-up data, the review team found no relationship between reported serious side effects and HPV vaccination.

Together, the two Cochrane reviews provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date evidence on HPV vaccination to date and also indicate that HPV vaccination is a safe and highly effective public health measure, capable of preventing cancers that affect hundreds of thousands of people every year.

The findings underscore global recommendations to vaccinate both girls and boys, ideally before the age of 16, to achieve the greatest protection against HPV-related cancers. Protection is strongest when vaccination occurs before sexual debut and exposure to the virus.

In a remark, Hanna Bergman, the study’s co-lead author, stated, “That being said, the evidence from these trials confirms that HPV vaccines are highly effective at preventing the infections that lead to cancer, without any sign of serious safety concerns.”

In addition, Nicholas Henschke, co-lead author, added, “We now have clear and consistent evidence from around the world that HPV vaccination prevents cervical cancer. An important finding was that the commonly reported side effects of the vaccine, often discussed on social media, were found to hold no evidence of a real link to vaccination.” (Nigerian Tribune)