Feb 06, 2020 |
MedPage Today – Vaccination against human papillomavirus, combined with organized screening programs, offers the potential to eliminate cervical cancer worldwide within a century — and by 2040 in North America, according to a new study …
Laval University, The Lancet
Quebec, January 31, 2020 – Cervical cancer as a public health problem could be eliminated worldwide within a century.
This is demonstrated by two studies published in the journal The Lancet by an international consortium co-led by Professor Marc Brisson, from the Faculty of Medicine at Laval University and the Research Center of the CHU de Québec-Université Laval.
In North America, the virtual disappearance of this disease could even occur as early as 2040, researchers say.
To carry out their work, Marc Brisson and his collaborators used the vaccination targets against the human papillomavirus (HPV) and screening established within the framework of the WHO draft strategy for the elimination of cervical cancer. ‘uterus. This plan provides that from 2030, 90% of young girls will be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV).
It also predicts that 70% of women will undergo 1 or 2 cervical cancer tests during their lifetime and that 90% of women with precancerous lesions or cervical cancer uterus will have access to adequate treatment.
Researchers’ analyzes show that by focusing solely on vaccination, the incidence of cervical cancer will drop by 89% within a century in the 78 countries most seriously affected by this disease, preventing 60 million of cancer cases.
If, in addition to vaccination, two screening tests and the treatment of precancerous lesions are added, the incidence of cancer will decrease by 97% within a century, which would prevent 72 million cases of cancer. In addition, by expanding access to treatment for cervical cancer, 62 million deaths from this disease could be prevented.
“This is the first time that a study has estimated the number of cases of cervical cancer that could be prevented and the time when the disease could be eliminated if the WHO strategy was applied,” says Marc. Brisson. “Our results suggest that eliminating this type of cancer will require both high immunization coverage and a high screening rate, especially in countries with the highest incidence of the disease. ”
This work served to establish the WHO strategy for the elimination of cervical cancer which will be submitted for adoption to the World Health Assembly next May.
“If the strategy is adopted and applied by member states, cervical cancer could be eliminated in several countries from 2040 and all over the planet within a century, which would represent an exceptional victory for the women’s health, ”said Professor Brisson. “However, this objective cannot be achieved without considerable international commitment, both politically and financially,” concludes the researcher.
New Flood of False Information about HPV Vaccine
Fear-mongering stands in the way of teens getting the cancer-prevention vaccine
Dec 13, 2019
SurvivorNet
What to Know
- The HPV vaccine is confirmed to be safe and effective at preventing HPV-linked cancers, including cervical and anal cancer
- A slew of misinformation on social media is spreading fear about the vaccine — claiming it causes side effects and even death
- Only about half of teens eligible for the potentially lifesaving vaccine have gotten one
Social media is filled with fake news and misinformation, some more harmful than others.
Now, a rise in fear-mongering posts about the vaccine for the human papillomavirus virus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection responsible for 5% of all cancer cases worldwide, is worrying health experts that more teens will shun the safe and effective shot.
Currently, only about half of U.S. teens have gotten the vaccination, and groups such as the innocuous-sounding Facebook group “HPV and Flu Shot Awareness NY” are likely part of the problem.
First, the Facts
“There are no syndromes such as autism or other neurologic syndromes that have been linked to the HPV vaccines,” Dr. Jessica Geiger of the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center told SurvivorNet. “The truth is that hundreds of thousands of young boys and girls over the years have been successfully vaccinated, and they don’t have any side effects or have any problems.”
Dr. Jonathan Berek of the Stanford Women’s Cancer Center told SurvivorNet that the HPV vaccine is “as safe as any vaccine has ever been.”
The science is firmly on the side of vaccinations … Read more.
