The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 277 No 7417 p303
9 September 2006

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Vaccination could reduce cervical cancer cases by 76 per cent

Prophylactic vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) could achieve a 76 per cent reduction in the prevalence of cervical cancer, a modelling study presented at the International Papillomavirus Conference in Prague this week has shown.

Researchers predict that, throughout the lifetimes of a single cohort of 12-year-old females in the UK, 2,636 could develop cervical cancer and 1,403 could die from the disease. With 100 per cent vaccination coverage, they predict as few as 632 cases of cervical cancer and 335 related deaths.

The authors say that their model does not incorporate the impact of vaccination on the dynamics of HPV transmission and the benefit that could result from herd immunity.