🎗️ No young women died of cervical cancer in England over the past five years

• Between 2020 and 2024, not a single woman aged 20 to 24 died of cervical cancer in England. Based on earlier death rates, 23 deaths were expected.
• A cross all age groups HPV vaccination is linked to around 200 fewer cervical cancer deaths in England.
• Among vaccinated women aged 20 to 29, the risk of dying from cervical cancer is estimated to have fallen by at least 81 percent.

No deaths among the youngest

A study published in The Lancet analyzed cervical cancer mortality in England between 2001 and 2024. Researchers Peter Sasieni and Milena Falcaro at Queen Mary University of London looked at three age groups: 20 to 24, 25 to 29, and 30 to 34.

Among women aged 20 to 24, none died of cervical cancer between 2020 and 2024. In that group, around 88 to 90 percent had been vaccinated against HPV at ages 12 to 13. Based on death rates between 2000 and 2014, 23 deaths were expected during the period. This means mortality fell by 100 percent.

Large reductions across several age groups

The reduction is also visible in earlier groups. Among women aged 20 to 24, mortality was 80 percent lower during 2015 to 2019 compared with 2000 to 2014. Among women aged 25 to 29, mortality was 69 percent lower during 2020 to 2024.

The number of deaths fell clearly. Among women aged 25 to 29, the number dropped from 123 during 2010 to 2014 to 32 during 2020 to 2024. Among women aged 20 to 24, the number dropped from 27 to zero over the same period.

For vaccinated women, the researchers calculated how much the risk of dying fell. In a statistical model, the reduction came to 100 percent among women aged 20 to 24, with an uncertainty range of 81 to 100 percent. Among women aged 25 to 29, the reduction was also 100 percent, with a range of 89 to 100 percent. Among women aged 30 to 34, the reduction was estimated at 63 percent. In the oldest group, fewer had been vaccinated, and those who were vaccinated often received the vaccine as teenagers when they may already have been infected.

Nearly 200 fewer deaths

Up to the end of 2024, HPV vaccination in England is linked to around 200 fewer cervical cancer deaths. The researchers put the figure at about 199.6 deaths.

That figure covers all three age groups together and is counted across all the years since vaccinated women began reaching these ages. This is why it is higher than the 23 deaths expected in the youngest group alone during 2020 to 2024.

The vaccination program in England

England introduced a national HPV vaccination program in 2008 for girls aged 12 to 13. An additional effort during 2008 to 2010 offered the vaccine to girls aged 14 to 18. Since 2019, boys of the same age have been included as well. Before the covid pandemic, around 90 percent had received at least one dose.

Vaccination has also reduced the number of cervical cancer cases. In the groups covered by the vaccine, the number of cases fell by up to 87 percent.

The HPV vaccine is one of three parts of the WHO's strategy to eliminate cervical cancer. The vaccine is included in national programs in around 150 countries. Cervical cancer is globally the second most common form of cancer leading to death among women under 65.

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