Preventing cancer with a vaccine sounds like the holy grail of medicine. Yet it is already possible to prevent many cancers with a vaccine.
But too many people are unaware of that fact, which could cost some their lives.
Many people know that the HPV or human papillomavirus vaccine prevents over 90% of cervical cancers, which is enormous. Unfortunately, research finds that awareness has fallen off, but even more importantly, there are at least four other cancers the vaccine prevents that even fewer people are aware of.
“My study showed awareness that HPV causes cervical cancer has actually been decreasing in the United States since 2014,” said Dr. Eric Adeji Boakye.
Boakye of Henry Ford Health says only about 70% of people are aware that HPV can cause cervical cancer and that there is a vaccine that can prevent it.
To him, two reasons jump out. First, there are fewer awareness campaigns directed toward patients. The second is vaccine misinformation.
“Vaccine misinformation, in general, has been increasing over the past few years, especially on social media, so a lot of people just don’t want to even listen about vaccinations in general,” Boakye said.
In the case of the HPV vaccine, that is especially unfortunate because HPV also causes oropharyngeal cancer, anal cancer, vulvar, vaginal cancer, and penile cancer, yet staggeringly few people even know that.
“For the other cancers, only around one in three Americans are actually aware that HPV causes the other cancers,” Boakye said. “HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer is now the number one HPV-associated cancer in the U.S. It has surpassed cervical cancer since 2019-2020.”
The HPV vaccine prevents much more than only cervical cancer. It’s approved for both males and females, and the more vaccinated people and, the less likely anyone would be infected by HPV during their lifetime, making them less likely to spread the virus or develop cancer themselves.
About 70% of people know it can prevent cervical cancer specifically. Only about 55% of adolescents in 2020 had completed the vaccine series.
The term series is used because it is two shots for people under 15 and three shots for people over 15.
Considering that you’re protecting yourself and close physical contact throughout your life is a great benefit.
