HPV vaccination is associated with lower risk of cancers among females.

BACKGROUND

HPV vaccines prevent certain cancers, but the broader long-term effects are unclear. We assessed whether HPV vaccination is associated with cancer risk among females aged 9-26 years.

METHODS

Retrospective cohort study in the TriNetX U.S. Collaborative Network (Jan 1, 2013-Dec 31, 2022) comparing HPV-vaccinated versus unvaccinated females after 1:1 PSM; Cox proportional-hazards models estimated HRs (95% CIs), with subgroup analyses by age, race/ethnicity, and vaccine valence, and sensitivity analyses using active comparators (influenza- and HBV-vaccinated) and a health check-up cohort.

RESULTS

The findings showed that HPV vaccination was significantly associated with overall cancer risk (HR 0.38, 95% CI 0.34-0.42), with greater reduction when initiated at ages 9-14 versus 15-26 (HR 0.37 versus 0.54). Both 9vHPV and 4vHPV vaccines lowered cancer risks, with consistent support from sensitivity analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

In this multi-institutional retrospective cohort, HPV vaccination was associated with lower incidence of several cancers among females aged 9-26 years.