Nearly 14 million additional adolescents need HPV vaccination to reach public health goal

Biggest burden is among males, whites, and privately insured Nearly 14 million additional adolescents (11-12 years of age) beyond those who will be vaccinated based on current rates will need to receive the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine between now and 2026 to reach the American Cancer Society’s goal of an 80% vaccination rate by that year. The figure comes from a new report from American Cancer Society investigators looking to guide HPV cancer control efforts in the wake of recent goal-setting. The report appears early online in Cancer. HPV accounts for nearly all cervical cancers as well as 91% of anal cancers, 70% of oropharyngeal (throat) cancers, and 60% to 75% of other genital cancers (penile, vaginal, and vulvar cancers). A previous analysis by ACS investigators estimated that HPV caused about 30,000 cancers and about 6,500 cancer deaths in 2014. The majority (90%) of these cancers can be prevented through HPV vaccination....