A groundbreaking study has found that women who received the HPV vaccine in early adolescence have virtually no risk of dying from cervical cancer before the age of 30. Researchers from Queen Mary University of London analysed official mortality and vaccination data for women aged 20 to 34, revealing that for vaccinated women aged 30 to 34, the relative risk of death from cervical cancer is 63% lower. For the first time in recorded history, no women aged 20 to 24 died from cervical cancer in England between 2020 and 2024.
The study, funded by Cancer Research UK and published in The Lancet, estimates that the HPV vaccine has prevented nearly 200 young women from dying from cervical cancer in England since its introduction in 2008. Lead author Professor Peter Sasieni said: 'We estimate that since its introduction, HPV vaccination has prevented nearly 200 young women from dying from cervical cancer in England.' However, he warned that falling vaccination rates could reverse these gains.
HPV vaccination rates have dropped significantly since the pandemic, from close to 90% to 75% nationally and 60% in London. Professor Sasieni cautioned that without urgent action, there could be an additional 15 to 25 avoidable deaths each year in young women, and eventually about 200 deaths from cervical cancer annually that could be prevented if uptake returned to pre-Covid levels.
Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, called for targeted action to reach communities with the lowest uptake. Helen Hyndman, lead nurse at The Eve Appeal, emphasised that cervical cancer will not be eliminated unless vaccination and screening rates improve. Dr Alison Wright, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, described the data as 'exciting and powerful', highlighting the potential to save lives from a largely preventable disease.
