Medics hail results of cancer jab vaccine
THE NUMBER of young women showing early signs of possible cervical cancer has nearly halved in Scotland since the introduction of a school vaccination programme, says research.
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women under the age of 35, and types of human papilloma virus (HPV) are known to cause around 90% of those cancers in Scottish women.
A school-based immunisation drive began in 2008 for 12 and 13-year-old girls to protect them from the virus, with a catch-up programme also introduced.
Uptake of the vaccine in Scotland is currently among the highest in the world, with around nine in 10 girls choosing to receive it.
Researchers analysed the number of women involved in the catch-up programme, aged 20 or 21, who were re- ferred for a colposcopy – a procedure used to look at the cervix if screening finds abnormal cells.
They found that 1,294 women were referred for a colposcopy in 2008-2009 following an abnormal smear test, compared with 758 women in 2013-2014.
The team has described the 41% drop as “significant” and said they are seeing a reduction in the numbers much earlier than expected. Study leader Professor Maggie Cruickshank, of Aberdeen University’s School of Medicine and Medical Science and Nutrition, said: “We thought it might take 20 years to see the benefits of HPV vaccination as it would take time to reduce levels of HPV infection.
“But this data shows that we’re already seeing a significant reduction.This is great news for women.”