Taking three doses of HPV vaccination can significantly reduce the risk of cervical abnormality in women, according to a study published in the journal CMAJ.
Researchers studied data from 10,204 young women in Alberta, Canada, an area that has implemented a school-based HPV vaccination program. About 56 percent of the women in the study were unvaccinated, with the remainder receiving at least one HPV vaccine before having a cervical cancer screening, according to a Reuters report.
Here are six things to know about the study's findings:
- About 14.5 percent of women had abnormal Pap tests and 85.5 percent had normal results.
- Nearly 94 percent of the abnormal tests were low-grade abnormalities, with the other 6 percent being more serious abnormalities that could lead to cervical cancer.
- Less than 12 percent of women who received three doses of the vaccine had abnormal Pap results. About 16 percent of unvaccinated women had abnormal tests.
- This data translates into a 28 percent risk reduction with a full HPV vaccination.
- When only high-grade abnormalities were included, there was a 50 percent reduction in risk.
- Incomplete HPV vaccination — receiving less than the recommended three doses — did not lower the risk of having an abnormal Pap test. Women who had two doses of the vaccine had similar odds of having an abnormal test as women who received zero doses.
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