Since the human papillomavirus vaccine became available in 2006, cervical cancer incidence has decreased more in U.S. states where vaccination rates increased, according to a study published Feb. 24 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Cervical cancer screening rates significantly lag behind colorectal and lung cancer screening rates. The American Cancer Society and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force have both updated their respective cervical cancer screening guidelines to include self collection, a move 13 leaders told Becker’s would help improve screening rates.
For the study, researchers analyzed data from the U.S. Cancer Statistics Database, the National Immunization Survey and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to understand how HPV vaccination uptake aligned with cervical cancer incidence.
Here are five things to know from the study:
- For every 10% increase in vaccination rates, there was an 11.5% decrease in cervical cancer incidence.
- Between 2000 and 2005 and between 2016 and 2021, cervical cancer incidence decreased by 27% nationwide.
The states with the largest decreases in cervical cancer incidence between 2000 and 2005 and between 2016 and 2021 were:
- District of Columbia: 52%
- Michigan: 52%
- Rhode Island: 52%
- Hawaii: 51%
- Wisconsin: 50%
The states with the smallest decreases in cervical cancer incidence were: - Idaho: 3%
- Alabama: 4%
- Arkansas: 4%
- Alaska: 7%
- Montana: 8%
- Cervical cancer incidence increased in two states during the study period:
- Vermont: 11%
- West Virginia: 9%
- In 2022, 77.9% of children ages 13-17 had received an HPV vaccination.
The states with the highest HPV vaccination rates in 2022 were:
- Rhode Island: 93.3%
- Vermont: 89.4%
- Hawaii: 88.6%
- Iowa: 88.6%
- Washington: 88.3%
The states with the lowest HPV vaccination rates in 2022 were: - Wyoming: 66.9%
- California: 70.1%
- Oklahoma: 70.4%
- Kentucky: 70.6%
- North Carolina: 70.9%
- “Compared to the reduction at the national level, the large declines in cervical cancer incidence observed in several states were very encouraging,” Chenxi Jiang, American Cancer Society researcher and lead study author, said in a Feb. 23 news release. “Little or no progress in other states shows the need for targeted intervention.”
Here are the state-level cervical cancer incidence and HPV vaccination rates, according to the study:
| Cervical cancer cases among ages 20-31 (2000-2021) | Cervical cancer incidence change (2000-2005 vs 2016-2021) | HPV vaccination coverage among ages 13-17 (2022) | |
| Nationwide | 22,868 | -27% | 77.9% |
| Alabama | 414 | -4% | 77.2% |
| Alaska | 67 | -7% | 78.3% |
| Arizona | 430 | -25% | 74.0% |
| Arkansas | 256 | -4% | 78.8% |
| California | 2,677 | -29% | 70.1% |
| Colorado | 383 | -30% | 81.1% |
| Connecticut | 193 | -34% | 83.3% |
| Delaware | 74 | -12% | 82.6% |
| District of Columbia | 49 | -52% | 88.0% |
| Florida | 1,470 | -15% | 77.4% |
| Georgia | 797 | -32% | 76.8% |
| Hawaii | 88 | -51% | 88.6% |
| Idaho | 86 | -3% | 84.9% |
| Illinois | 924 | -22% | 81.5% |
| Iowa | 242 | -25% | 88.6% |
| Kansas | 215 | -31% | 73.5% |
| Kentucky | 412 | -20% | 70.6% |
| Louisiana | 456 | -46% | 81.6% |
| Maine | 90 | -13% | 81.3% |
| Maryland | 364 | -38% | 85.5% |
| Massachusetts | 337 | -36% | 86.7% |
| Michigan | 803 | -52% | 82.5% |
| Minnesota | 348 | -37% | 85.8% |
| Missouri | 511 | -23% | 80.3% |
| Montana | 77 | -8% | 80.0% |
| Nebraska | 130 | -28% | 76.2% |
| Nevada | 200 | -33% | 78.2% |
| New Hampshire | 79 | -44% | 85.8% |
| New Jersey | 575 | -41% | 73.4% |
| New Mexico | 170 | -13% | 83.3% |
| New York | 1,254 | -27% | 81.6% |
| North Carolina | 668 | -24% | 70.9% |
| North Dakota | 53 | -21% | 81.3% |
| Ohio | 902 | -16% | 81.9% |
| Oklahoma | 408 | -28% | 70.4% |
| Oregon | 266 | -29% | 82.2% |
| Pennsylvania | 902 | -25% | 76.1% |
| Rhode Island | 82 | -52% | 93.3% |
| South Carolina | 366 | -34% | 75.5% |
| Tennessee | 500 | -16% | 74.4% |
| Texas | 2,703 | -18% | 77.8% |
| Utah | 167 | -36% | 75.2% |
| Vermont | 37 | +11% | 89.4% |
| Virginia | 503 | -24% | 80.4% |
| Washington | 561 | -46% | 88.3% |
| West Virginia | 157 | +9% | 71.9% |
| Wisconsin | 369 | -50% | 77.9% |
| Wyoming | 53 | -33% | 66.9% |
Read the full study here.
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