HPV Vaccines Effective But Ethnic Disparities in Access Still a Problem for US, Study Reports

https://cervicalcancernews.com/2016/05/05/hpv-vaccination-expected-to-reduce-cancer-in-all-races-may-not-eliminate-all-disparities/

"Access to first- and second-generation human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines that are expected to lower the risk for HPV-associated cancers in all racial/ethnic groups is the main finding of the recent study, “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Human Papillomavirus-Associated Cancer Burden With First-Generation and Second-Generation Human Papillomavirus Vaccines,” published in the journal Cancer. However, screening and timely diagnoses, together with wide access to treatment, are essential to effectively eliminating current racial disparities.

HPV-associated cancers vary according to racial and ethnic group, showing in the U.S. a significant higher incidence in Hispanics, blacks, American Indians, and Alaska Natives when compared to whites.

A research team at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health reported that HPV vaccination is expected to decrease HPV-associated cancers in all racial/ethnic groups, to reduce the incidence disparity gap. Scientists used mathematical modeling to investigate how alternative HPV vaccine coverage would impact incidence of six HPV-associated cancers in different groups of people.

“As expected, we found HPV vaccination would reduce the overall disease burden for all racial and ethnic groups,” Emily Burger, the study’s first author and a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Chan School’s Center for Health Decision Science, said in a press release.

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