Cervical cancer rates are 87% lower in women who were offered vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) when they were between the ages of 12-13 than in previous generations, confirms a new study published in The Lancet.

Researchers also found reductions in cervical cancer rates of 62% in women offered vaccination between the ages of 14-16 and 34% in women aged 16-18 when vaccination was introduced. This is the first direct evidence of the prevention of cervical cancer using the bivalent vaccine, Cervarix.

HPV vaccination has been introduced in 100 countries as part of the World Health Organisation (WHO) efforts to eliminate cervical cancer.

During the study period, 28,000 diagnoses of cervical cancer and 300,000 diagnoses of carcinoma-in-situ (CIN3) were recorded in England. In a trial of three vaccinated cohorts, there were around 450 fewer cases of cervical cancers and 17,200 fewer cases of CIN3 than expected in a non-vaccinated population. The research found reductions in cervical cancer rates of 87% in women targeted between 12-13.

Follow-up from the human papillomavirus (HPV) immunisation programme using the bivalent vaccine Cervarix, found that cervical cancer rates in women offered the vaccine between the ages of 12-13 were 87% lower than in an unvaccinated population.