CDC: Vaccines could have prevented majority of HPV cancers between 2008 and 2012

The CDC released a new report July 8 sharing data that shows that the vast majority of cancers caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) in the U.S. between 2008 and 2012 could have been prevented by HPV vaccines.

The study found that about 39,000 HPV-related cancers were diagnosed every one of those four years, about 31,000 of which were directly caused by an HPV infection, with women more likely than men to have the disease. More than 28,000 of those 31,000 cancers could have been prevented if the patients had been vaccinated against HPV, the CDC said.

The report also found that cervical carcinomas and oropharyngeal squamous cell cancers were the most common kinds of diseases diagnosed that were caused by an HPV infection, at about 12,000 and 16,000 annual diagnoses, respectively. Black women were more likely to contract cervical carcinomas than white women, though the racial breakdown varied among the other types of cancersThe CDC said the 2008 to 2012 incidence rate was a one in 100,000 increase from the previous reporting period of 2004 to 2008.

But the report also emphasized such cancers are preventable with HPV vaccines. The vaccines protect against most of the 13 strains of the disease that can cause cancer, and are available with two, four or nine doses for women and girls between ages 11 and 26 and boys and men ages 11 to 21. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends people in those demographics be vaccinated.

Despite that ability for prevention, not everyone is getting the amount of vaccine doses they are supposed to be. According to a 2014 CDC study, only about 40 percent of girls between 13 and 17 received more than three doses of the drug, with about 60 percent receiving at least one dose. For boys of the same age, only 22 percent received more than three doses, with only about 42 percent every receiving at least one dose.

If more young people were vaccinated against the vaccine, the study’s authors said, HPV-caused cancer rates could be decreased. A separate CDC report found that about 14 million people are infected with HPV every year, though not every type of the virus goes on to cause cancer. And a study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases in 2013 showed that the virus’ infection rate had decreased by 56 percent among girls aged 14 to 19 since the vaccine’s introduction. So the vaccine is doing its job, but it’s possible not enough people are being vaccinated to halt the spread of the strains of the virus that can cause cancer.

The new CDC report also pointed out that only about 80 percent of women have cervical cancer screenings, with a 93 percent population goal. Minority women are less likely than white women to undergo such tests. Improvement in the incidence of those screenings could also contribute to a lower HPV-caused cancer rate, the study said.