A recent study has made a groundbreaking discovery.
To eradicate cervical cancer, vaccination against human papillomavirus may be necessary, not only in girls but also in boys.
The virus, commonly known as HPV, is responsible for the most widespread sexually transmitted infection in the world, but current vaccination only targets girls.
Although the infection can remain without symptoms and resolves naturally within two years in 90% of cases, its persistence can lead to cancer in some people.
HPV-induced cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women, with nearly 660,000 new cases and 350,000 deaths each year.
HPV vaccines, which have been shown to be effective in minimizing the spread of disease and cancer risk, are currently offered and recommended in 147 countries.
But the best vaccination strategy to eradicate HPV-induced cervical cancer remains debatable, researchers say.
Now scientists have devised a new mathematical model to help public health officials design more effective HPV vaccination programs.
Cervical cancer is one of the few cancers that can be effectively prevented by vaccines
The model, detailed in a new study published in the journal Bulletin of Mathematical Biologyassessed whether a recent HPV vaccination program in South Korea was sufficient to control cervical cancer.
Researchers found that vaccinating boys against HPV, along with continued efforts to immunize girls, could be critical.
“Cervical cancer is one of the few cancers that are effectively prevented by vaccines,” said Soyoung Park, lead author of the study from the University of Maryland.
“It was important to check whether the recent government vaccine delivery program will be sufficient to effectively control the disease in Korea.”
The model shows that these policies are insufficient to eliminate HPV and related cancers in the country.
To completely eradicate cervical cancer, researchers estimate that the vaccination campaign must reach 99% of women in the country. But vaccinating boys “reduces the pressure associated with vaccinating a large proportion of women,” said Dr. Abba Gumel, another author of the study.
