Harvard University Health Services

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How effective is the HPV vaccination?


In clinical studies, Gardasil prevented 100% of HPV 16- and 18 -related cervical cancer in women not previously exposed to the relevant HPV types.  The development of the HPV vaccine offers an unprecedented opportunity for cervical cancer prevention, which will lead to an even greater reduction in incidence and mortality of the disease.  In theory, the vaccine has the potential to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer by 70%.  Though this reduction will not be seen until the current generation of 11 year-olds reaches 50 years of age (the current median age at diagnosis), clinical studies have shown HPV vaccination to be a safe and effective preventive measure to reduce cervical cancer and pre-cancerous lesions among women.