Older HPV vaccine cuts cervical cancer rate up to 87 per cent, study finds
CTV
Young women who were vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) in their teens with an older GlaxoSmithKline product called Cervarix had up to an 87 per cent lower risk of developing cervical cancer linked to the virus, a long-running English study found.
When the vaccinated women were in their 20s, those who had received the series of shots between ages 12 and 13 had cervical cancer rates that were 87% lower than unvaccinated women who had been screened for the malignancy.
The cancer rate was 62% lower when the shots were given between ages 14 and 16 and reduced by 34% in women vaccinated between ages 16 and 18, researchers reported in The Lancet medical journal.
Rates of a precancerous condition were reduced by 97% when the shots were given at ages 12 and 13, the study also found.
The findings "should greatly reassure those still hesitant about the benefits of HPV vaccination," the researchers said.
