A new study revealed
that one dose of the HPV vaccine may prevent infection from the potential
cancer-causing virus, according to research published in JAMA
Network Open from The University of Texas Health Science
Center at Houston (UTHealth).
According
to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 34,800 new cancer diagnoses are
linked to human papillomavirus (HPV) annually. The virus is thought to account
for more than 90% of all cervical and anal cancers, more than 60% of all penile
cancers, and approximately 70% of all oral cancers.
While
results of the paper showed that a single dose may be as effective as the
currently recommended two- or three-dose series, it’s too early for people to
rely on a single dose of the vaccine for protection, according to senior author
Ashish A. Deshmukh, PhD, MPH, an assistant professor at UTHealth School of
Public Health.
“HPV
vaccine coverage is less than 10% globally because of poor vaccine uptake rates
in many resource-limited countries. Ensuring boys and girls receive their first
dose is a big challenge in several countries and a majority of adolescents are
not able to complete the recommended series due to a lack of intensive
infrastructure needed to administer two or three doses,” Deshmukh said. “If
ongoing clinical trials provide evidence regarding sustained benefits of a
one-dose regimen, then implications of single-dose strategy could be
substantial for reducing the burden of these cancers globally.”
Although
the study participants included only women, the CDC recommends a two-dose
regimen for all children starting the series before age 15 or a three-dose
regimen if the series is started between ages 16 to 26. The latest generation
of HPV vaccine can protect against nearly 90% of cancer-causing HPV infections.
Yet, current vaccinations rates are less than ideal – half of people in the
U.S. are not vaccinated against this common sexually transmitted infection.
“The
current HPV vaccine dosing regimen can be cumbersome for people to understand.
If one dose is proven effective in trials, the vaccine regimen will be
simplified. This will help improve the coverage rate among adolescents that are
currently below the Healthy People 2020 goal and possibly will also increase
the momentum of uptake in the newly approved age group,” said lead author
Kalyani Sonawane, PhD, who is an assistant professor at UTHealth School of
Public Health.
Journal article: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2757996
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