CDC report strengthens evidence of HPV vaccine's role in preventing cervical cancer
A new report published in MMWR found that between 2008 and 2022, cervical precancer incidence decreased by 79%, and higher-grade precancer incidence decreased by 80% among screened women aged 20–24 years - the age group most likely to have been vaccinated.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes approximately 10,800 cervical cancers annually in the United States, making cervical cancer the most common HPV-attributable cancer among women. Between 2008 and 2022, a total of 39,977 cases of cervical precancer were reported in the U.S.
Since 2006, when the HPV vaccine was first recommended in the United States to prevent cancers and other diseases caused by HPV, vaccination coverage has increased. Many young women vaccinated as children or adolescents have since become eligible for cervical cancer screening. The CDC monitors cervical precancer incidence through the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Impact Monitoring Project.
The observed declines in cervical precancer are consistent with the impact of HPV vaccination and support the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' recommendation to vaccinate children against HPV at ages 11–12 years, with catch-up vaccination through age 26.
