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A groundbreaking study from researchers at Karolinska Institutet suggests that one or two doses of the HPV vaccine may offer protection against cervical cancer just as effectively as the current three-dose regimen. This new finding could reshape global vaccination strategies and accelerate efforts to eliminate cervical cancer worldwide.
Published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, the study examines over 2.2 million Swedish girls and women, tracking the impact of the HPV vaccine over a span of up to 17 years. The results indicate that girls and young women who received one or two doses of the vaccine before the age of 17 experienced comparable levels of protection against severe cervical changes as those who received three doses.
Shiqiang Wu, a research assistant at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Karolinska Institutet, emphasized the significance of these findings: “Our results support the recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) that one or two doses could be sufficient to protect girls and young women against cervical cancer.”
Cervical cancer remains a major global health issue, ranking as the fourth most common cancer in women, with over 340,000 deaths reported in 2020. The WHO has set an ambitious goal of eliminating cervical cancer as a public health threat by the end of the century, aiming for 90% vaccination coverage in girls before the age of 15.
Jiayao Lei, assistant professor at Karolinska Institutet, noted that this study strengthens the case for reducing the number of doses required: “Our findings strengthen the evidence that one or two doses of the HPV vaccine may be sufficient, which could help vaccinate more girls and accelerate efforts to eliminate cervical cancer.”
The study was conducted using data from Swedish national registries, focusing on vaccination records and the occurrence of high-grade cervical lesions in women aged 10-35 years between 2006 and 2022. The researchers adjusted for variables such as socioeconomic status and maternal history of cervical changes to ensure the accuracy of their findings.
Importantly, the study shows that those who received fewer doses before age 17 had a similar risk of developing severe cervical changes compared to those who received the full three-dose regimen. This discovery could make HPV vaccination more accessible, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where the burden of cervical cancer is the greatest.
Despite these promising results, the researchers caution that further studies are needed to determine the long-term effectiveness of fewer doses and whether booster shots will be required in the future. “The next step is to follow those who received fewer than three doses over a longer period to ensure continued protection against cervical cancer,” Lei said.
As global health organizations work toward eliminating cervical cancer, this research represents a significant step forward in making the vaccine more accessible and effective for women around the world.
Source:
Karolinska Institutet
Journal Reference:
Wu, S., et al. (2025). Effectiveness of quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccination against high-grade cervical lesions by age and doses: a population-based cohort study. The Lancet Regional Health – Europe. doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2024.101178.
