Human Papillomavirus and Considerations for Prevention Post-COVID-19 - March 2023

HPV infection is related to: 80% to 90% of anal cancers 40% of vaginal and vulvar cancers 40% to 50% of penile cancers 25% to 35% of mouth and throat cancers Most of these cancers are related to high-risk HPV types 16 and 18 [38] HPV Prevention Although it is a preventable and potentially curable disease, cervical cancer is still a common cause of female cancer mortality worldwide. [...] Understanding HPV and the cause of cervical cancer has led to major advances in the primary and secondary prevention of cervical cancer. [...] They are to complete HPV vaccination of 90% of girls by the age of 15 years, screening of 70% of women by the age of 35 years and then by 45 years, and treatment of 90% of women diagnosed with cervical disease, including both women with cervical pre-cancer and women with invasive malignancy [18, 29, 39-41]. [...] There are three HPV vaccines authorized for use in Canada: the bivalent vaccine "Cervarix®" (HPV2) contains the VLPs of HPV16 and 18, the two types that cause 70% of cervical cancer worldwide and even greater proportions of HPV-associated vulvar, vaginal, penile, anal, and oropharyngeal cancers. [...] The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and HPV prevention As with many other programs are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of cervical cancer screening tests and the number of cytological abnormalities identified have also been affected.