A team of scientists from Sweden and Finland has identified the best way to fight cervical cancer in women. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Cell Host and Microbe (CHM).
There are more than 200 types of human papillomavirus. Some of these can cause various types of cancer, the most common being cervical.
Experts have found that to solve this health problem, not only girls but also boys should be vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV). This is indicated by data from Finland, where the HPV vaccine has begun to be administered to children of both sexes.
33 Finnish cities were selected for the research. In some, girls and boys were vaccinated against HPV, in some, only girls were vaccinated, and in some, no one was vaccinated. Follow-up showed that after eight years, the numbers of the two HPV types had decreased significantly in communities with widespread vaccination.
“We estimate that it would take 20 years to vaccinate girls to achieve the same effect that could be achieved in eight years with relatively moderate gender-neutral vaccination coverage,” said lead author Ville Pimenov.
Researchers also found that the cancer-causing HPV types that the vaccine killed were replaced by other types of HPV that did not have a strong link to cancer.
Doctors had previously explained how it happened avoid female reproductive system cancer.