Cervical cancer vaccine will cut cases by two thirds
The cervical
cancer vaccine will reduce rates of the disease in women under 30 by two thirds
within 15 years, experts have predicted.
Based on current uptake rates of the cervical cancer
vaccine, cases of the disease will be cut by around 63 per cent by 2025.
Around eight in ten girls eligible for the vaccine are
accepting it, meaning by the time they reach 30 years of age, cancer rates will
have started to drop, a study published in the British Journal of Cancer found.
Girls aged 12 and 13 are being offered Cervarix, which
protects against two strains of the human papilloma virus which causes cervical
cancer.
It had been thought that seven out of ten cases of
cervical cancer could be avoided through the vaccination programme but this was
based on 100 per cent take up.
The programme has been running for a year with uptake
at 80 per cent, meaning the number of cases prevented initially is lower but is
expected to rise to seven out of ten in the long-term, a spokesman for Cancer
Research UK said.
The researchers also predicted 51 per cent fewer women
will have abnormal cells detected which can indicate the early stages of cancer
and often require treatment.
The number of women recalled for further tests due to
changes detected on a smear test will also be cut by 27 per cent, they
calculated.
Professor Jack Cuzick, lead author from Queen Mary,
University of London, said: “In women in their twenties alone, around 145 cases
of cervical cancer will be prevented each year in the UK thanks to the HPV
vaccine. And around 13,000 women each year will be spared from having an
abnormal screening test result.
“Our predictions are really encouraging. If girls
continue to take up the vaccine, thousands in the future could be prevented
from developing cervical cancer and many more would avoid treatment to remove
abnormal precancerous cells.
“This is the most realistic estimate of the impact the
vaccination programme will have on the number of women who develop cervical
cancer. It shows that the vaccine has great potential in preventing the disease
in the near future, but also that it’ll take several decades before we see its
full benefits.”
Currently there are around 2,800 cases of cervical
cancer diagnosed in Britain each year and more than half occur in women under
the age of 50.
Just under 1,000 women die each year from cervical
cancer and the vaccination programme is expected to save 400 lives a year.
Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at
Cancer Research UK, said: “This is really good news for girls who have had the
vaccine and for those who will have it in the future. But it’s important to
remember that the vaccine will not completely wipe out cervical cancer because
it doesn’t protect against every type of high risk HPV.
"Now and for the foreseeable future, it’s vital
that women go for cervical screening when they’re invited. Screening can
prevent cervical cancer by detecting unusual changes in the cervix before
cancer develops and it saves thousands of lives in the UK each year.
“Our message is to take up the opportunity to get
vaccinated but it’s equally important to go for screening when you’re invited.”
A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "We
welcome this study, which gives strong justification for our HPV vaccination
programme. Being able to protect young women against this disease is a
tremendous development."
Source: telegraph.co.uk