HPV World - Planning for cervical cancer elimination: The role of simulation modeling
16.01.2023
Following the WHO Director-General’s global call for action towards the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem, there were fundamental questions asking what elimination definition and threshold should be used, what prevention strategies could lead to elimination, when elimination could be reached, how many cervical cancers and deaths could be averted on the path to elimination, and what strategies to reach elimination were the most efficient and cost-effective.
Visit websiteHPV World - How does COVID-19 impact cervical screening?
14.01.2023
Even though few countries formally paused cervical screening services or programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, screening visits were reduced in many countries. This reflects a wide range of factors, including limited capacity to offer screening (clinically or in laboratories) and constraints on women being able to attend. These factors could in turn be due to staff shortages, competing work, illness, limited resources or consumables, lockdowns, anxiety about being exposed to COVID-19, or lower saliency of preventive healthcare, among others.
Visit websiteCervical cancer elimination in Italy: Current scenario and future endeavors for a value based prevention
13.10.2022
Cervical Cancer (CC) is a vaccine-preventable disease, and it is treatable if diagnosed early and managed properly. However, it is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide with about 604,127 cases and 341,831 deaths in 2020. In Italy, it represents the fifth most common cancer in women under 50 years of age with about 2,400 new cases in 2020. The CC elimination is today a global public health goal published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2020 and a commitment of the European Union that has included it in Europe's Beating Cancer Plan. Therefore, urgent action is needed, at international and national level, to implement value-based interventions regarding vaccination, screening and timely management of the disease. Our study aims to describe the state of the art of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) prevention in Italy and to get a consensus on indicators for monitoring the progress toward CC elimination at national level.
Visit websiteHPV World: Addressing disparities in HPV vaccination among culturally diverse populations- a socioecological approach
13.10.2022
Infection with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the leading risk factor for the development of ano-genital cancers and a major health problem globally. Elimination of HPV morbidities requires four key pillars: prevention, screening, treatment and education. With prevention, global studies have shown that unique socio-cultural norms and environmental factors provide challenges for community acceptance of adolescent HPV vaccination. Furthermore, the empirical evidence highlights that implementation strategies for HPV vaccination programs cannot be generalised to culturally diverse populations.
Visit websiteHPV Vaccination in Women Treated for Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia: A Budget Impact Analysis
13.07.2021
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection. Its progression is related to the development of malignant lesions, particularly cervical intraepithelial neoplasias (CINs). CINs correlate with a higher risk of premature births, and their excisional and ablative treatment further increases this risk in pregnant women. These complications are also correlated with higher healthcare costs for their management. In Italy, more than 26,000 new cases of CINs are estimated to occur yearly and their economic burden is significant. Therefore, the management of these conditions is a public health priority. Since HPV vaccination is associated with a reduced risk of relapse in women surgically treated for HPV-related injuries, we estimated the economic impact of extending HPV vaccination to this target population. This strategy would result in a significant reduction in the general costs of managing these women, resulting in an overall saving for the Italian Health Service of €155,596.38 in 5 years. This lower cost is due not only to the reduced incidence of CINs following vaccination, but also to the lower occurrence of preterm births. Extending HPV vaccination to this target population as part of a care path to be offered to women treated for HPV injuries is therefore desirable.
Visit websiteEliminating HPV-caused cancers in Europe: Achieving the possible
13.06.2021
The 690,000 cases of cancer caused worldwide each year by HPV (human papillomavirus) are among the easiest of all cancers to prevent. However, the actions so far taken in terms of both policy and practice by health systems in many European states have neither matched the scale of the problem nor seized the opportunities for disease prevention potentially offered by vaccination and screening. Treatments for HPV-caused cancers are also inequitably provided across the region and widespread misinformation about HPV undermines efforts to improve public health. The European Cancer Organisation's HPV Action Network has made the case for action for the elimination of all the cancers caused by HPV through gender-neutral vaccination, effective cervical cancer screening, better quality treatments, and public and professional education across Europe. The World Health Organisation's new global strategy for the elimination of cervical cancer (launched in November 2020), together with Europe's Beating Cancer Plan (February 2021), together provide a major opportunity to tackle decisively all the cancers caused by HPV. The Beating Cancer Plan, which was significantly influenced by evidence provided by the HPV Action Network, commits to supporting EU member states' efforts to extend routine vaccination of girls and boys and to creating a new EU-supported Cancer Screening Scheme to help Member States ensure that 90% of the EU population who qualify for cervical cancer screening are offered it by 2025. The goal of HPV cancer elimination is now both possible and achievable. The challenge is to ensure implementation and delivery by EU member states and more widely across the European region.
Visit websiteIncreasing HPV Vaccination Uptake among Adolescents: A Systematic Review
13.11.2020
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is a well-known fundamental strategy in the prevention of cervical cancer, as it is always caused by HPV infection. In fact, primary prevention of the infection corresponds to primary prevention of HPV-related cancers and other diseases. Since an effective prevention at the population level is the final goal, it is mandatory for healthcare systems to achieve a high HPV vaccination coverage among the adolescents to reduce the circulation of the virus and the burden of HPV-related diseases. This research identified, through a systematic literature review, 38 papers on strategies adopted to increase HPV vaccination coverage among adolescents. The evaluated strategies targeted adolescents/parents and/or healthcare providers and could be grouped in three main types: (1) reminder-based, (2) education, information, and communication activities, and (3) multicomponent strategies. Several types of strategy, such as those relied only on reminders and integrating different interventions, showed a positive impact on vaccination coverage. Nonetheless, the heterogeneity of the interventions suggests the importance to adapt such strategies to the specific national/local contexts to maximize vaccination coverage.
Visit websiteHPV World: HPV vaccination status is not associated with increased risky sexual behavior
13.05.2019
Despite the recommendations made by national immunization advisory committees around the world, HPV vaccination rates, especially in the United States, remain suboptimal. When asked about barriers vaccinating their children for HPV, some parents cite concerns about Risk Compensation. That is, they are concerned that vaccinating their children against a sexually transmitted infection (STI) will result in increased risky sexual behaviors. However, our recent systematic review of the literature found no evidence of risky sexual behavior after vaccination.
Visit websiteHPV vaccination in a context of public mistrust and uncertainty: a systematic literature review of determinants of HPV vaccine hesitancy in Europe
20.02.2019
Europe is increasingly described as the region in the world with the least confidence in vaccination, and particularly in the safety of vaccines. The aim of this systematic literature review was to gather and summarise all peer-reviewed and grey literature published about determinants of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine hesitancy in Europe.
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