HPV vaccination as a tool to reduce the global cancer burden: A literature review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37800/RM.3.2025.534Keywords:
vaccination, human papillomavirus (HPV), health careAbstract
Relevance: Cervical cancer (CC), caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), is the 4th most common cancer in the world. 95% of CC cases are associated with HPV. In total, 570,000 cases and 311,000 deaths from CC were recorded worldwide in 2018. Ineffective screening and treatment programs for CC in low- and medium-GDP countries account for 85% of cases and deaths. Second place after CC is occupied by oropharyngeal cancer associated with HPV (70% of cases).
The study aimed to summarize and analyze the latest scientific findings on the effectiveness of vaccination against human papillomavirus.
Materials and Methods: To conduct this literature review, three authors independently conducted a comprehensive analysis of scientific publications published in peer-reviewed journals and scientific databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science.
Results: Some HPV types are classified as group 1 as carcinogenic to humans. The most oncogenic is HPV-16, which is most often associated with cancer development. Cervarix and GARDASIL HPV vaccines are the first vaccines for which efficacy has been assessed.
Conclusion: Thus, preventive HPV vaccination is an effective strategy for combating oncogenic infections and requires further expansion of coverage within national health programs.
References
1. Williamson A-L. Recent Developments in Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccinology. Viruses. 2023;15:1440.
https://doi.org/10.3390/v15071440
2. Ramberg IMS. Human papillomavirus-related neoplasia of the ocular adnexa. Acta Ophthalmol. 2022;100(272):3-33.
https://doi.org/10.1111/aos.15244
3. Lin S, Gao K, Gu S, You L, Qian S, Tang M, Wang J, Chen K, Jin M. Worldwide trends in cervical cancer incidence and mortality, with predictions for the next 15 years. Cancer. 2021;127(21):4030-4039.
https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.33795
4. Denny L, de Sanjose S, Mutebi M, Anderson BO, Kim J, Jeronimo J, Herrero R, Yeates K, Ginsburg O, Sankaranarayanan R. Interventions to close the divide for women with breast and cervical cancer between low-income and middle-income countries and high-income countries. Lancet. 2017;389(10071):861-870.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31795-0
5. Nogues JC, Fassas S, Mulcahy C, Zapanta PE. Human Papillomavirus-Associated Head and Neck Cancer. J Am Board Fam Med. 2021;34(4):832-837.
https://doi.org/10.3122/jabfm.2021.04.200588
6. Deshmukh AA, Damgacioglu H, Georges D, Sonawane K, Ferlay J, Bray F, Clifford GM. Global burden of HPV-attributable squamous cell carcinoma of the anus in 2020, according to sex and HIV status: A worldwide analysis. Int J Cancer. 2023;152(3):417-428.
https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.34269
7. Ferlay J, Ervik M, Lam F, Laversanne M, Colombet M, Mery L, Piñeros M, Znaor A, Soerjomataram I, Bray F (2024). Global Cancer Observatory: Cancer Today. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer. Accessed [04 Sept 2025]. Available from:
https://gco.iarc.who.int/today
8. Касымбекова Ф., Жетписбаева И., Дюсенов Р., Жуманбаева Ж., Крыкпаева А., Болатова М., Кисина Р., Глушкова Н. Актуальные аспекты международного опыта внедрения вакцинации против вируса папилломы человека. Репродуктивная Медицина. 2022;4(53):7-21.
Kasymbekova F, Zhetpisbaeva I, Dyusenov R, Zhumanbaeva Zh, Krykpaeva A, Bolatova M, Kisina R, Glushkova N. Actual aspects of the international experience of vaccination against the human papilloma virus. Reproductive Medicine. 2022;4(53):7-21. Russian.
https://doi.org/10.37800/RM.4.2022.7-21
9. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Demographic and social development policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan until 2040 [Internet]. Almaty: UNFPA Kazakhstan; 2024 [cited 2025 Jun 12]. Available from:
https://kazakhstan.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/policy-2024-full_1.pdf
10. Van Doorslaer K, Chen Z, Bernard HU, Chan PKS, DeSalle R, Dillner J, Forslund O, Haga T, McBride AA, Villa LL, Burk RD, Ictv Report Consortium. ICTV Virus Taxonomy Profile: Papillomaviridae. J. Gen. Virol. 2018;99:989-990.
https://doi.org/10.1099/jgv.0.001105
11. Arroyo Mühr LS, Eklund C, Dillner J. Misclassifications in human papillomavirus databases. Virology. 2021;558:57-66.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virol.2021.03.002
12. Clifford GM, de Vuyst H, Tenet V, Plummer M, Tully S, Franceschi S. Effect of HIV Infection on Human Papillomavirus Types Causing Invasive Cervical Cancer in Africa. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2016;73:332-339.
https://doi.org/10.1097/QAI.0000000000001113
13. Shu Y, Yu Y, Ji Y, Zhang L, Li Y, Qin H, Huang Z, Ou Z, Huang M, Shen Q, Li Z, Hu M, Li C, Zhang G, Zhang J. Immunogenicity and safety of two novel human papillomavirus 4- and 9-valent vaccines in Chinese women aged 20-45 years: A randomized, blinded, controlled with Gardasil (type 6/11/16/18), phase III non-inferiority clinical trial. Vaccine. 2022;40(48):6947-6955.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.10.022
14. Mbulawa ZZA, Phohlo K, Garcia-Jardon M, Williamson AL, Businge CB. High human papillomavirus (HPV)-35 prevalence among South African women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia warrants attention. PLoS One. 2022;17(3):e0264498.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0264498
15. Aldakak L, Huber VM, Rühli F, Bender N. Sex difference in the immunogenicity of the quadrivalent Human Papilloma Virus vaccine: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Vaccine. 2021;39(12):1680-1686.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.02.022
16. Artemchuk H, Eriksson T, Poljak M, Surcel HM, Dillner J, Lehtinen M, Faust H. Long-term Antibody Response to Human Papillomavirus Vaccines: Up to 12 Years of Follow-up in the Finnish Maternity Cohort. J Infect Dis. 2019;219(4):582-589.
https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiy545
17. Mariz FC, Gray P, Bender N, Eriksson T, Kann H, Apter D, Paavonen J, Pajunen E, Prager KM, Sehr P, Surcel HM, Waterboer T, Müller M, Pawlita M, Lehtinen M. Sustainability of neutralising antibodies induced by bivalent or quadrivalent HPV vaccines and correlation with efficacy: a combined follow-up analysis of data from two randomised, double-blind, multicentre, phase 3 trials. Lancet Infect Dis. 2021;21(10):1458-1468.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30873-2
18. Tsang SH, Basu P, Bender N, Herrero R, Kemp TJ, Kreimer AR, Müller M, Panicker G, Pawlita M, Pinto LA, Sampson JN. Evaluation of serological assays to monitor antibody responses to single-dose HPV vaccines. Vaccine. 2020;38(38):5997-6006.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.07.017
19. Akhatova A, Azizan A, Atageldiyeva K, Ashimkhanova A, Marat A, Iztleuov Y, Suleimenova A, Shamkeeva S, Aimagambetova G. Prophylactic Human Papillomavirus Vaccination: From the Origin to the Current State. Vaccines (Basel). 2022;10(11):1912.
https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10111912
20. Subasinghe AK, Wark JD, Phillips S, Cornall A, Brotherton JML, Garland SM. Quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccination successfully reduces the prevalence of vaccine-targeted genotypes in a young, vaccine-eligible-age sample of Australian females. Sex Health. 2020;17(6):510-516.
https://doi.org/10.1071/SH20033
21. Freire-Salinas J, Benito R, Azueta A, Gil J, Mendoza C, Nicolás M, García-Berbel P, Algarate S, Gómez-Román J. Genotype Distribution Change After Human Papillomavirus Vaccination in Two Autonomous Communities in Spain. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2021;11:633162.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2021.633162
22. Perkins RB, Saslow D, Oliver K. Long-Term Effectiveness of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination: Implications for Future Reduction in Cancer. Ann Intern Med. 2022;175(7):1037-1038.
https://doi.org/10.7326/M22-1309
23. World Health Organization. HPV dashboard [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; [cited 2025 Jul 15]. Available from:
24. Meites E, Stone L, Amiling R, Singh V, Unger ER, Derkay CS, Markowitz LE. Significant Declines in Juvenile-onset Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis Following Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine Introduction in the United States. Clin Infect Dis. 2021;73(5):885-890.
https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciab171
25. Bruni L, Saura-Lázaro A, Montoliu A, Brotons M, Alemany L, Diallo MS, Afsar OZ, LaMontagne DS, Mosina L, Contreras M, Velandia-González M, Pastore R, Gacic-Dobo M, Bloem P. HPV vaccination introduction worldwide and WHO and UNICEF estimates of national HPV immunization coverage 2010-2019. Prev Med. 2021;144:106399.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106399
26. Kreimer AR, Struyf F, Del Rosario-Raymundo MR, Hildesheim A, Skinner SR, Wacholder S, Garland SM, Herrero R, David MP, Wheeler CM; Costa Rica Vaccine Trial Study Group Authors; González P, Jiménez S, Lowy DR, Pinto LA, Porras C, Rodriguez AC, Safaeian M, Schiffman M, Schiller JT, Schussler J, Sherman ME; PATRICIA Study Group Authors; Bosch FX, Castellsague X, Chatterjee A, Chow SN, Descamps D, Diaz-Mitoma F, Dubin G, Germar MJ, Harper DM, Lewis DJ, Limson G, Naud P, Peters K, Poppe WA, Ramjattan B, Romanowski B, Salmeron J, Schwarz TF, Teixeira JC, Tjalma WA; HPV PATRICIA Principal Investigators/Co-Principal Investigator Collaborators; GSK Vaccines Clinical Study Support Group. Efficacy of fewer than three doses of an HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine: Combined analysis of data from the Costa Rica Vaccine and PATRICIA Trials. Lancet Oncol. 2015;16:775-786.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(15)00047-9
27. Basu P, Malvi SG, Joshi S, Bhatla N, Muwonge R, Lucas E, Verma Y, Esmy PO, Poli URR, Shah A, Zomawia E, Pimple S, Jayant K, Hingmire S, Chiwate A, Divate U, Vashist S, Mishra G, Jadhav R, Siddiqi M, Sankaran S, Prabhu PR, Kannan TPRA, Varghese R, Shastri SS, Anantharaman D, Gheit T, Tommasino M, Sauvaget C, Pillai MR, Sankaranarayanan R. Vaccine efficacy against persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) 16/18 infection at 10 years after one, two, and three doses of quadrivalent HPV vaccine in girls in India: a multicentre, prospective, cohort study. Lancet Oncol. 2021;22(11):1518-1529.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(21)00453-8.
Erratum in: Lancet Oncol. 2022;23(1):e16.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(21)00700-2
28. World Health Organization. Human papillomavirus vaccines: WHO position paper, December 2022 [Internet]. www.who.int. 2022. Available from:
29. Barnabas RV, Brown ER, Onono MA, Bukusi EA, Njoroge B, Winer RL, Galloway DA, Pinder LF, Donnell D, Wakhungu I, Congo O, Biwott C, Kimanthi S, Oluoch L, Heller KB, Leingang H, Morrison S, Rechkina E, Cherne S, Schaafsma TT, McClelland RS, Celum C, Baeten JM, Mugo N. Efficacy of single-dose HPV vaccination among young African women. NEJM Evid. 2022;1:EVIDoa2100056.
https://doi.org/10.1056/EVIDoa2100056
30. Review of the current published evidence for single-dose HPV vaccination [Internet]. Path.org. 2025 [cited 2025 Jun 6]. Available from:
https://www.path.org/resources/review-current-published-evidence-single-dose-hpv-vaccination
31. World Health Organization. One-dose Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine offers solid protection against cervical cancer [Internet]. www.who.int. 2022. Available from: https://www.who.int/news/item/11-04-2022-one-dose-human-papillomavirus-(hpv)-vaccine-offers-solid-protection-against-cervical-cancer
32. Bigaard J, Franceschi S. Vaccination against HPV: boosting coverage and tackling misinformation. Mol Oncol. 2021;15(3):770-778.
https://doi.org/10.1002/1878-0261.12808
33. Kassymbekova F, Rommel A, Kaidarova D, Auyezova A, Nukusheva S, Dunenova G, Bolatbekova R, Zhetpisbayeva I, Abdushukurova G, Glushkova N. Developing HPV Vaccination Communication Strategies: Assessing Knowledge, Attitudes, and Barriers Among Healthcare Professionals in Kazakhstan. Vaccines (Basel). 2024;12(11):1225.
https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12111225
34. Лукьянчикова В.Н. Онкогинекологическая служба в условиях модернизации здравоохранения региона. Актуальные вопросы акушерства, гинекологии и перинатологии. 2023;19(1):47-55.
Lukyanchikova VN. Oncogynecological service in the context of modernization of regional healthcare. Aktual'nye voprosy akusherstva, ginekologii i perinatologii. 2023;19(1):47-55. Russian.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Д.Е. Ерланова, Г.Н. Абуова, А.К. Аязбеков, Г.Г. Шаймерденова
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The articles published in this Journal are licensed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (Creative Commons Attribution – Non-Commercial – No Derivatives 4.0 International) license, which provides for their non-commercial use only. Under this license, users have the right to copy and distribute the material in copyright but are not permitted to modify or use it for commercial purposes. Full details on the licensing are available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
