Most young women with cervical cancer not vaccinated against HPV
Most of the women under 30 with cervical cancer in the Netherlands have not been vaccinated against HPV. A study conducted by gynecologists from Amsterdam UMC in collaboration with the Comprehensive Cancer Centre of the Netherlands (IKNL) found that only 15 percent of young women with cervical cancer had been vaccinated against the virus that most commonly causes this cancer, the hospital reported on Tuesday.
“In recent years, we have seen several young women with cervical cancer who had not been vaccinated,” Amsterdam UMC gynecologist-oncologist Luc van Lonkhuijzen said. “I struggle with the idea that their disease could have been prevented. With this study, we want to draw attention to the importance of vaccination against HPV. It can prevent a lot of misery.”
The researchers analyzed the medical records of 135 women under 30 with cervical cancer. 58 of them lost their fertility as a result of the necessary treatment. “That is, of course, very drastic, apart from the risk that women die from cervical cancer. If we can ensure that women get cervical cancer less often with a vaccination, then these treatments and therefore infertility would not be necessary at all.”
Several large international studies have already proven that the HPV vaccination offers good protection against cervical cancer. The HPV vaccine has formed part of the Netherlands’ National Vaccination Program since 2010, but the vaccination rate is still low at around 60 to 70 percent for girls born between 1997 and 2010.
“We must do everything we can to increase that percentage,” researcher Maaike van der Aa of the IKNL said. “In recent campaigns, young people were still able to get a vaccine, but a large number remain unvaccinated. Our study shows that the majority of cervical cancer cases occur in the unvaccinated group.”
The study also shows that while the HPV vaccination significantly reduces the risk of cervical cancer, it does not eliminate it. Therefore, participation in the population screening for cervical cancer remains crucial, the researchers stressed. Only about half of women over the age of 30 currently participate in this screening.
Early detection can prevent drastic treatments and increase the chance of preserving fertility, Van Lonkhuijzen said. “Apart from the better prognosis, it means a lot to a woman of childbearing age if she can undergo treatment that will allow her to have children at a later date.”
