Deaths from cervical cancer are plummeting among young women in the United States, and scientists believe they have a single vaccine to thank for saving so many lives.
In the past decade alone, national health data show a 62 percent decline in cervical cancer deaths among women under 25 years of age.
Lead author Ashish Deshmukh of the Medical University of South Carolina attributes this dramatic change to the following factors: Gardasil vaccine.
His team’s study did not differentiate between young women who were vaccinated and those who were not. says He and his colleagues “can’t think of any other reason that could have contributed to this significant decline.”
Especially since I studied in England. australia It found that cervical cancer rates were plummeting among those who received the drug.
The multiple-dose Gardasil vaccine was approved for young girls in the United States in 2006 to prevent fatal strains of human papillomavirus (HPV).
HPV is a highly contagious virus that can be spread through skin-to-skin contact. responsible For 70% of invasive cervical cancers – Most common cause of cancer death Among American women.
It’s rare for women to get cervical cancer when they’re young, but a new study shows that cases under 25 are becoming rarer thanks to vaccines.
National health data show that the first group of girls in the United States to be eligible for the HPV vaccine (then about 10 years old) were much less likely to die from cervical cancer before age 25.
Previous research A U.S. study found that the incidence of cervical cancer among women under 25 decreased by 65% between 2012 and 2019. However, this study is the first to consider mortality in these patients.
This study analyzed health data of women under the age of 25 every three years from 1992 to 2021.
Between 1992 and 1994, there were 55 young cervical cancer deaths per 100,000 in the United States.
Between 2019 and 2021, that number decreased to 13 per 100,000 people.
“These findings highlight the urgent need to improve HPV vaccination coverage.” finish author.
In the United States, HPV vaccination coverage among young girls reached 78.5% in 2021, but rates have shown little improvement in the years since and are even showing signs of slipping.
Australia has one of the highest HPV vaccination rates in the world. Almost 86% of girlsAnd by 2028, some national estimates predict there will be fewer than four new cases of cervical cancer per 100,000 people. This is a low enough rate that the disease can be considered eliminated.
In fact, a 2019 study found that cervical cancer could be eradicated in 149 out of 181 countries by 2100 thanks to the HPV vaccine.
But this is only true if vaccination rates are maintained and improve.
And it’s not just women who can save lives. The vaccine was initially approved for younger women, but older women, boys and men can now also get the HPV vaccine, where it has been shown to protect against anal, penile and oral cancers.
The HPV vaccine promised much and lived up to the challenge. These drugs are now saving more lives than scientists ever thought possible, turning some of the deadliest diseases into preventable diseases.
This study Zama.
