Cancer caused by HPV is increasing in some women in the U.S. Is the HPV vaccine safe?

Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers with the HPV vaccine. Recent research suggests that the U.S. is backsliding in efforts to detect it early.

Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers, although recent research suggests that the United States is backsliding in efforts to detect the disease early, when it is most curable.

A new study shows that the percentage of women screened for cervical cancer fell from 47% in 2019 to 41% in 2023.

Rural women are 25% more likely to be diagnosed and 42% more likely to die from cervical cancer than women who live in cities, a trend that likely reflects lower screening rates in less populated areas, according to the study, published in JAMA Network Open this month. 

A person receives a dose of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Feb. 4, 2025. Subaas Shrestha / NurPhoto via Getty Images fileEvery year, 13,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with cervical cancer, which is almost always caused by HPV, or human papillomavirus. About 4,320 die each year, according to the American Cancer Society. 

Cervical cancer rates have been edging upward among women in their 30s and early 40s, perhaps because women ages 21 to 29 are the least likely to be up to date on their screenings, with 29% being overdue. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/cancer/cancer-hpv-increasing-women-vaccine-safe-rcna196439

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