“The President’s Cancer Panel applauds the NCI-designated cancer centers for issuing this consensus statement urging HPV vaccination for the prevention of cancer in support of the Panel’s recommendations”, Dr. Barbara Rimer, chair of the panel, said in an email.
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“We must remind all women that HPV is very common and can lie dormant for very long periods of time, and that the best way of reducing one’s risk of cervical cancer is to attend screening promptly whilst eligible”, said Robert Music, chief executive of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust in the United Kingdom, in an interview with the Guardian.
This month, the American College of Pediatricians (the College) updated its position statement on Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines in light of the most up-to-date research pertaining to the virus and the vaccines.
To combat that, and to mark Cervical Cancer Prevention Week (January 24-30), Tracy has shared a picture of her cervix – which revealed abnormal cells – in the hope of encouraging other women to go and get tested. HPV is responsible for 99.7% of cases of cervical cancer. “Other male genital cancers such as penile cancer, anal cancer, are also caused by HPV”.
“If you were vaccinated against HPV as an older teenager, please remember it does not protect against all types of cervical cancer, so it is still important to have a smear test”.
Their recommendations say children can get their first dose of the vaccine starting at age 9, and should receive all shots before their 13th birthday. Researchers led by the University of New South Wales reviewed about 4,000 pathology reports from women with benign breast biopsies, but who in later years developed breast cancer.
Cervical screening is a test to check the health of the cells of the cervix.
The statement also echoes the spirit of President Barack Obama’s recent call for a “moonshot” to cure cancer.
“Some people have the fear that it leads to increased risk of sexual promiscuity, and that’s just not true”, said Dr. Huh. The consensus grew out of a meeting late previous year, when representatives of the centers discussed barriers to HPV vaccination and potential strategies to overcome the barriers.
She wrote: “This is something we should all do automatically, without batting an eyelid, rather than putting it off or ignoring the invitation to get screened”. Earlier this year, the CDC reported only 40 percent of girls and 21 percent of boys in the USA are receiving the recommended three doses of the vaccine.
“Being screened regularly means that any abnormal changes in the cells of the cervix can be identified at an early stage and, if necessary, treated to stop cancer developing”. Parents and guardians should talk to their health care provider to learn more about HPV vaccines and their benefits.
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“You just never know what’s going on in people’s worlds or what they’re fighting, so I think it’s really made me more aware”, Nall said.
