By Melinda Young
Women who received the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine at the youngest age group of 9 to 12 years were less likely to participate in cervical cancer screening (a Pap test) than were those who received the vaccine during their teens and young adulthood, a new study finds.1
“We looked at the association of the age at time of HPV vaccine and cervical cancer [screening] later in life,” says Kate Chirikova, MAS, a PhD candidate, epidemiology and translational science in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco.
“Those who were vaccinated at the recommended years of 9 to 12 years were less likely to get screened than those who were vaccinated between 13 and 23 years, and the difference was 9%,” Chirikova explains. “This would mean that 120,000 fewer women are getting screened.”1
The HPV vaccination rate in the United States is below the nation’s Healthy People 2030 target of 80%. In 2022, 58.6% of adolescents ages 13-15 years had received two or more doses of the HPV vaccine.2
The researchers’ hypothesis was that people who had received the HPV vaccine would be less likely to be screened for cervical cancer. There was a decrease in cervical cancer screening between 2005 and 2019, and one self-reported barrier was lacking knowledge about screening.1 The researchers found that 9.1% fewer women had the Pap test among those who had the HPV vaccine in their pre-teen years. The study estimated that 120,260 fewer women nationwide were getting screened for cervical cancer.1
These findings suggest that OB/GYNs could help improve the cancer screening among patients by asking everyone — including those who had received the HPV vaccine — if they had ever had a Pap test and if the clinic could help them schedule one. “Many people visit their OB/GYNs at the time they need contraception, and that’s where the entrée is,” says George Sawaya, MD, a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences, and epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco.
“Our study wants to say to the clinician that there are people who were vaccinated early — in the CDC’s recommended age group — who may be particularly at risk of not beginning screening [of cervical cancer],” Sawaya explains. “They need to be in tune that [patients] are appropriately screened under the current guidelines.”
Reproductive health clinicians also can give patients a key message that even if they think they are protected from cervical cancer because of being vaccinated, they still should be screened, he adds. “Vaccination has no effect on the screening recommendation. Vaccination status does not change screening,” Sawaya says.
Melinda Young has been a healthcare and medical writer for 30 years. She currently writes about contraceptive technology.
References
1. Chirikova E, Dorismond V, Cortella AM, et al. The impact of age at initial HPV vaccination on cervical cancer screening participation in a nationally representative cohort of women in the United States. J Med Screen. 2025; Jan 30:9691413251315879. [Online ahead of print].
2. National Cancer Institute. HPV Vaccination. Cancer Trends Progress Report. Last reviewed March 2024. https://progressreport.cancer.gov/prevention/hpv_immunization
Women who received the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine at the youngest age group of 9 to 12 years were less likely to participate in cervical cancer screening (a Pap test) than were those who received the vaccine during their teens and young adulthood, a new study finds.
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