Children vaccinated against HPV at age 12 or 13 now have close to zero risk of dying from cervical cancer before they turn 30, landmark research has revealed — a dramatic shift that has already saved hundreds of lives in England.
For the first time, no cervical cancer deaths were recorded among women aged 20 to 24 in England between 2020 and 2024, a five-year period that would normally have seen around 23 deaths without the vaccine, according to the study by Queen Mary University of London.
“Children vaccinated for HPV at 12-13 have close to zero risk of cervical cancer death before 30, saving hundreds of lives.”
"It's incredible to think that a single jab can almost eliminate a particular type of cancer," said Prof Peter Sasieni, the lead researcher, whose team estimates that around 200 lives have been saved in England since the school-age vaccination programme began in 2008.
Cervical cancer remains the 14th most common cancer among females in the UK, with 3,300 people diagnosed every year. The human papillomavirus (HPV), spread through close skin-to-skin contact, is thought to cause 99% of those cases. While most HPV infections clear up without problems, some trigger abnormal cell changes that can lead to cancer years later.
Alexandra Legg, who left school just before the vaccine was introduced, knows the difference it could have made. In 2021, aged 30 and planning her wedding, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. "I remember hearing the words and I just couldn't really breathe very well," she says. "I was so upset — everything went through my head, it was so hard."
Treatment removed lymph nodes in her abdomen, though surgeons preserved part of her cervix, leaving a chance of pregnancy. A year later, her daughter Ivy was born — her middle name Marvella, meaning "miracle". "Those nine months were so scary because I was at such risk of losing her at any point," Legg says. She urges those eligible to get the jab: "I'm a real advocate for this vaccine and when Ivy is old enough, she'll be first in the queue."
Cancer Research UK, which funded the study, called the findings an "incredible milestone" but warned that vaccination rates in England are running below recommended levels. "We know the HPV vaccine is extremely effective at stopping cervical cancer before it starts and for the first time these findings show it is saving lives," said chief executive Michelle Mitchell.
The report's authors expect deaths to continue falling as more vaccinated people grow older — a promise that turns on maintaining immunisation rates.