A recent study reveals that eliminating cervical cancer may not be achieved by vaccinating girls alone against human papillomavirus (HPV), but also requires expanding vaccination to include boys as well.
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection worldwide, and although the infection is often asymptomatic and disappears spontaneously within two years in about 90% of cases, its persistence in some infected individuals can lead to the development of various types of cancer, most notably cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer linked to the virus ranks as the fourth most common type of cancer among women globally, with about 660,000 new cases and approximately 350,000 deaths recorded annually.
HPV vaccines, which have proven effective in reducing the spread of infection and lowering the risks of developing cancer, are available in 147 countries and are widely recommended by international health bodies. However, current vaccination programs mostly focus on girls, raising questions about their sufficiency to completely eradicate the disease.
In this context, researchers have developed a new mathematical model to assist public health decision-makers in designing more effective vaccination programs. The model was used to evaluate the national vaccination program in South Korea and its ability to control cervical cancer.
Researchers relied on demographic data and statistics related to cervical cancer in South Korea during the period from 1999 to 2020, to predict patterns of HPV transmission among the population.
The results showed that despite their success in reducing infection rates, current policies are insufficient to completely eradicate the virus and related cancers. The Korean program, which began in 2016, covers about 80% of girls aged 12 to 17, in addition to providing annual booster doses to about 30,000 women aged 18 to 26.
The study concluded that including boys in vaccination programs, along with continuing to vaccinate girls, could be the decisive factor in eliminating cervical cancer.
Sooyoung Park, the lead researcher from the University of Maryland, stated that cervical cancer is one of the few cancers that can effectively be prevented through vaccines, emphasizing the importance of evaluating the adequacy of current government programs.
In turn, Abba Gomil, one of the study's authors, explained that current policies "help reduce the number of cases, but they will not eliminate the disease entirely," affirming that the goal is complete eradication.
Researchers estimated that completely eliminating cervical cancer requires vaccine coverage to reach 99% of women, yet vaccinating boys could alleviate the need to reach this high percentage. The study proposes vaccinating 65% of boys in the age group of 12 to 17 years, while maintaining the girls' coverage rate at 80%.
According to estimates, adopting this strategy could lead to the eradication of cancers associated with human papillomavirus in South Korea within a period ranging from 60 to 70 years.
The study results were published in the journal "Bulletin of Mathematical Biology".
