HPV jabs cut risk of dying from cervical cancer before 30 to almost zero

A new study by researchers at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), funded by Cancer Research UK and published in The Lancet, reveals that the HPV vaccine has dramatically reduced cervical cancer mortality among young women in England. Using official cancer mortality and vaccination data for women aged 20 to 34, the researchers calculated the vaccine's impact.

The findings show that girls vaccinated at ages 12 or 13 have nearly zero risk of dying from cervical cancer before turning 30. For vaccinated women aged 30–34, the relative risk of death from the disease is 63% lower. Remarkably, between 2020 and 2024, no women aged 20–24 died from cervical cancer in England—a historic first. The authors estimate that since the vaccine's introduction in 2008, nearly 200 deaths have been prevented among young women in England.

The HPV vaccine also protects against certain cancers of the anus, penis, vagina, vulva, mouth and throat, as well as genital warts. It is offered to girls and boys in Year 8 in England. Before the pandemic, vaccination rates were close to the WHO target of 90%, but they have since fallen significantly—now at 75% nationally and 60% in London.

Lead author Professor Peter Sasieni said: "We estimate that since its introduction, HPV vaccination has prevented nearly 200 young women from dying from cervical cancer in England." He warned that with falling uptake, there could be 15–25 avoidable deaths per year among young women, and eventually about 200 preventable deaths annually from cervical cancer if rates do not recover to pre-Covid levels.

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, urged the UK government to take targeted action in communities with the lowest uptake. Helen Hyndman, lead nurse at The Eve Appeal, stressed that cervical cancer will not be eliminated without improvements in vaccination and screening.

Caroline Temmink, NHS Director of Vaccination, called the findings "hugely encouraging" and emphasized that alongside screening, the vaccine is central to the NHS ambition to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson confirmed efforts to boost uptake, including catch-up campaigns in community pharmacies and HPV self-testing kits for those who miss screening.