HPV Vaccine: An Effective but Underutilized Prevention Tool

HPV vaccines are among the most effective vaccines available, offering safe administration and high cost-effectiveness. The composition of the vaccines has been changed, involving enrichment with pathogenic strains and extending the possibility of prevention to other HPV-related cancers and diseases. The efficacy of the vaccine extends beyond primary prevention due to documented reductions in the relapse of cervical lesions. The objective of the present study was to evaluate whether there were differences in the frequency of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (H-SILs) and cervical carcinoma between vaccinated and unvaccinated women. This retrospective study included all incident cases of cervical cancer or H-SIL diagnosed between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2020, in Catania, Italy. We analyzed 2722 cases: 751 cervical cancers and 1901 H-SILs. A total of 88% of patients had never been vaccinated. Among women with H-SILs, 85% had never received a vaccination against HPV. Among the few women with H-SILs who were vaccinated, 3.5% of them received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine before diagnosis, while 96.5% started the HPV vaccine cycle after diagnosis of cervical lesions. The mean age at diagnosis for our population was 43.4 years (52 years for cervical cancer; 39.8 years for H-SIL). Statistically significant differences were found between vaccinated and unvaccinated women. The HPV vaccine is an underutilized intervention that has the potential to eradicate cervical cancer and reduce the occurrence of other HPV-related cancers. Implementing new communication strategies can increase the number of vaccinated subjects.