A new study has found a common immunisation completely prevented the development of cervical cancer in women who were vaccinated as teenagers.
The study, conducted by Public Health Scotland and published in Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found females who received human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations had a significantly lower chance of developing cervical cancer.
HPV is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI) responsible for almost all cases of cervical cancer – the fourth-most common cause of cancer in women worldwide.
Researchers looked at immunisation and cancer registry data from hundreds of thousands of Scottish females aged between 36 and 28.
Researchers examined their HPV vaccine status, including the number of doses received and the age of immunisation, along with their socio-economic status.
The study found none of the women who were immunised at 12 or 13 years old developed invasive cervical cancer, regardless of the number of doses of vaccine they received.
Females vaccinated between the ages of 14 and 22 and given three doses of the vaccine showed a significant reduction in incidences of the cancer, compared to unvaccinated females.
Females from "deprived" or disadvantaged areas of Scotland were more likely to develop cervical cancer, but they also responded more positively to the vaccine, compared with females from more advantaged areas.
The vaccine is primarily provided through school immunisation programs, but adolescents who missed the vaccination can catch up for free up to age 26.
Women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 74 years of age are invited to have a cervical screening test every five years through their healthcare provider.
