HPV vaccine continues to reduce cervical precancers in the United States

While many parts of the United States are battling measles outbreaks due to resistance to measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines, vaccinations against human papillomavirus (HPV) are on the rise across the country. countries and lead to a decrease in the incidence of cervical cancer, explained Nancy McClung, Ph.D., RN.

McClung, Epidemic Intelligence Services Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recently led a study badessing the impact of HPV vaccine among young women in the United States by describing the trends HPV vaccine types of 16 and 18 – the cause of about 70% of cervical cancers worldwide – detected in cervical precancers.

Among women aged 18 to 39, 53% of cervical precancers were due to 16 and 18 year old HPV types. This number dropped to 44% in 2014. Moreover, among vaccinated women of the same age group, the proportion decreased from 55% to 33%.

"This key finding is evidence that HPV vaccine works to prevent cervical disease in young women in the United States," McClung said in an interview with Oncology Nursing News.

Nurses play a vital role in increasing vaccination rates. McClung mentioned that the recommendations of nurses and other health care providers are the main reason why parents make the decision to vaccinate their children.

"Nurses play a central role in educating patients and their families and helping people make informed decisions about health," said McClung. "Nurses can also help identify and educate people who were not sufficiently vaccinated before. The CDC recommends vaccination up to the age of 26 for women and up to 21 for men; Men aged 22 to 26 can be vaccinated. "

Each year, HPV vaccination coverage increases by an average of 5 percentage points, according to McClung. However, many people still have not received the recommended doses for the HPV vaccine, which is still lagging behind other routine adolescent vaccines.

For example, McClung outlined some strategies that allow nurses and other health professionals to achieve higher vaccination rates. They understand:

• Recommend HPV vaccines for all preadolescents aged 11 to 12 years.
• Recommend HPV in the same way and on the same day as other vaccines for adolescents.
• Learn to respond effectively to common questions parents have about the HPV vaccine.
• Talk repeatedly about HPV vaccination, even if parents initially refuse.
• Share stories of HPV cancer survivors and use personal examples of vaccinating your own children.
• Implement practice-based changes, such as reminder / recall systems and other standing orders.

"Women who already have cervical cancer will not benefit from vaccination, but nurses and other health professionals should be convinced that increasing HPV vaccination rates among their eligible immunization patients will prevent cervical cancer[-related] cancers, "said McClung.

McClung predicts that cervical cancer rates will continue to decline as a result of more widespread vaccination.

"In the United States, we expect a decline in the rate of cervical cancer in one or two decades to come," she said. "We are also expecting an even greater decrease in the number of cervical precancers, because more women are vaccinated at the age of routine and with 9-valent vaccine, which targets 5 additional types of HPV causing cancer. "

More resources for practitioners are available on the CDC website.