The vaccination against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV human papillomavirus (human papillomavirus)) provides high protection against cervical cancer. This is evident from research involving the first group of women who could receive the HPV vaccination and undergo a smear test.
Key Research Findings
- Women who received the HPV human papillomavirus (human papillomavirus) vaccination at age 16 were 90% protected against developing cervical cancer.
- Vaccinated women were also 80% protected against severe precursors of cervical cancer (CIN3+).
Research
For this research (external link), data from 104,661 women were collected. These women were born in 1993 and invited to receive the HPV vaccination at age 16. Of these women, 46% were fully vaccinated against HPV, 5% partially vaccinated, and 49% unvaccinated. Around age 30, they received an invitation for the cervical cancer screening, which could be done via a self-collection kit or a smear test. Some women also underwent a smear test for medical reasons earlier. The data on HPV vaccination were linked to the results of cervical samples in the Dutch pathology database (Palga).
HPV Vaccination
The HPV vaccination (external link) has been available since 2010 for girls aged 12-13. For the women in this study, it was possible to receive the HPV vaccination during a vaccination campaign for girls aged 13-16 in 2009. Since 2022, girls and boys who turn 10 are invited for the HPV vaccination.