Could the HPV vaccine eliminate cervical cancer deaths?

Published 19 June 2026 · health

The HPV vaccine has reduced the risk of cervical cancer death before age 30 to effectively zero in the United Kingdom. One of the first

The HPV vaccine has reduced the risk of cervical cancer death before age 30 to effectively zero in the United Kingdom. One of the first reviews of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has shown that it has reduced the risk of cervical cancer death before age 30 to effectively zero in the United Kingdom. The study, published by The Lancet medical journal on Wednesday this week, has shown remarkable results, experts say, raising hopes in other countries where the vaccine is also being rolled out. Cervical cancer is a particularly aggressive form of the disease with a poor prognosis for those diagnosed with it. It often affects young women under the age of 30. HPV, which can be transmitted through sexual contact, is the primary cause of cervical cancer and routine vaccinations of teenage girls and boys in the UK began in 2008. What does the latest study show? The study, led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London and funded by Cancer Research UK, shows that in the five years from 2020 to 2024, no women aged 20 to 24 died from cervical cancer in the UK. Without the vaccine, 23 deaths would have been expected during this time. Between 2000 and 2004, 25 women in that age bracket died of cervical cancer. The death toll was 16 between 2005 and 2009; 27 from 2010 to 2014; and five for 2015 to 2019. “This is an incredible milestone and major progress in our mission to beat cancer,” said Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK. “We know the HPV vaccine is extremely effective at stopping cervical cancer before it starts and for the first time, these findings show it is saving lives.” What is HPV? According to the World Health Organization (WHO) HPV is a common group of viruses which enter the body via skin-to-skin contact, typically through a cut or abrasion.

HPV is a group of more than 200 related viruses, and they are often spread through sexual contact. HPV is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. Most sexually active people are infected at least once, often without any symptoms. When symptoms do appear, they usually take the form of genital warts, which are caused by low‑risk HPV types. In about 90 percent of people, the immune system clears the infection naturally within about two years. Does HPV cause cancer? Persistent infection with certain high‑risk HPV strains can cause several cancers, including cervical cancer, as well as cancers of the vulva, vagina, penis, anus and the mouth or throat. Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent infection with high‑risk HPV types and the cancers they cause, medical practitioners say. There is no treatment which can eliminate the virus itself, but treatments are available for symptoms such as genital warts, cervical precancerous lesions and HPV‑related cancers. Here is what we know about the prevalence of HPV and the cancers it causes In 2019, HPV was estimated to cause about 620,000 new cancer cases in women and 70,000 in men worldwide. More than 95 percent of the 660,000 cervical cancer cases recorded each year worldwide are caused by HPV, according to the WHO. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally, with about 660,000 new cases and 350,000 deaths in 2022. Cervical cancer has an average five-year survival rate of about 67 percent following diagnosis, according to the WHO. If it is caught at stage 1 (where the cancer is localised and hasn’t spread), the survival rate is much higher, but most of these cases are caught at stages 2-3, where it has spread to other tissue or even lymph nodes, in which case the five-year survival rate is only 40 percent, according to the Cancer Institute in the United States.