HPV-linked cancer is becoming common in one group — here’s who is most at risk

Thousands of women die from cervical cancer in the U.S. every year and cases are largely caused by HPV infection

Cancer caused by the common human papillomavirus infection, also known as HPV, is increasing in some women in the U.S., researchers said this month.

They found that rates of cervical cancer — which is one of the most preventable cancers and largely caused by HPV infection — have been ticking up among women in their 30s and 40s: many of whom weren’t eligible for HPV vaccines when they were first released in 2006.

Approximately 42.5 million Americans are infected with HPV and there are at least 13 million new infections reported each year.

The vaccines, which protect individuals from getting several cancers associated with different strains of America’s most common sexually transmitted infection, were originally only recommended for girls and women between the ages of nine and 26. Since then, eligibility has expanded to include individuals between the ages of 27 and 45. It is now recommended for routine vaccination starting at age 11 or 12.

(AFP via Getty Images)

Although vaccination has proven to be both safe and effective, vaccine hesitancy and resistance has persisted. In recent years, it has been tied to social media. A December study from USC found that Americans are under-vaccinated for HPV, with 7 percent of eligible adults completing the full course.

Last year, a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that only 61 percent of young adults are up to date on all HPV vaccines, which are given as a series of two or three shots, including 64 percent of females.

Coverage was rising until 2022, when vaccine initiation stagnated for the first time in about a decade, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The group noted that HPV vaccine coverage already lags behind most other routine vaccines.

Notably, there are breakthrough infections because the original strain protected against the two riskiest viral strains. Updated vaccines now protect against even more.

Screening is also an issue tied to the American Cancer Society study’s findings, with the percentage of women falling from 47 percent in 2019 to 41 percent in 2023. Women between the ages of 21 and 29 are the least likely to be up to date with their screenings, previous research found.

A newer study published in the journal JAMA Network Open showed that rural women are 25 percent more likely to be diagnosed and 42 percent more likely to die from cervical cancer than those who live in cities, which likely is tied to lower screening rates in areas with less people. Studies also show that women are less likely to be screened if they are not white, are uninsured or identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual.

The society recommends people receive a primary HPV test every five years from ages 25 to 65, and start getting a Pap smear by age 21. A Pap smear collects cells from the cervix for testing.

Only a few types of HPV cause cancer. Known as high-risk strains, they are included in routine screenings.

Cervical cancer, which causes cells in the cervix to grow out of control, can take more than a decade to develop, according to the World Health Organization. Any woman with a cervix is at risk.

In the U.S. approximately 4,000 women die from cervical cancer every year and there are 11,500 new cases.

The vaccines, which protect individuals from getting several cancers associated with different strains of America’s most common sexually transmitted infection, were originally only recommended for girls and women between the ages of nine and 26. Since then, eligibility has expanded to include individuals between the ages of 27 and 45 (AFP via Getty Images)

While there’s no cure for HPV, there are surgical options and medication available to treat infection. Most people who have HPV are usually unaware that they have it. And, only about one percent of people with HPV develop long-term infection and even fewer develop cervical cancer.

So, screening remains crucial, experts say.

Among those screened for HPV in their 20s and 30s, 20 percent have high-risk HPV, Dr. Mark Einstein, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology and women’s health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, told NBC News.

“The goal, besides trying to prevent [cervical cancer] in the first place, would be to catch it before it even has any symptoms,” Dr. John Wallbillich is a gynecologic oncologist and assistant professor at Wayne State University, told WDET.