A study has found that giving the human papillomaviruses vaccine to women who have precancerous cells in their cervix may reduce their risk of developing the disease.
The number of cases of cancer in the UK has fallen since first girls and later boys were offered jabs to protect against the sexually transmitted diseases.
According to new findings, the vaccine may have another role to play. British researchers think that if they give it to women before they have surgery to remove precancerous cells, they will not come back.
Their findings have been published in the British Medical Journal.
CIN stands for abnormal changes of cells in the uterus. They can develop into cancer if not treated. There are three different types of CIN.
Maria Kyrgiou of Imperial College London is the leader of the study team. They found that people who had received a vaccine against the human immunodeficiency virus had a lower risk of developing a disease called high-grade preinvasive disease.
The risk was reduced by more than 70% when the chances were assessed for the two types of the virus that cause the disease.
The authors stressed that large-scale randomized control trials were needed to confirm that vaccination confers benefits.
Eluned Hughes, head of information and engagement at Jo's Cervical, said, "We are pleased to see emerging research into the value of using the vaccine to prevent the reappearance of cervical cell changes, and look forward to seeing further large-scale studies into the effectiveness of this
Since 2008, the number of cases of Cervical Cancer has been cut by 87%, but women over 27 are still at increased risk of developing the disease.
Alice Davies was cautious about the findings.
The study looked at whether the vaccine could stop further cell changes after people have had treatment. It's too early to say if using the vaccine in this way is a good idea.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
