England records zero cervical cancer deaths in women
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- Peter Sasieni and Milena Falcaro at Queen Mary University of London published the first direct evidence that the HPV vaccine prevents cervical-cancer deaths, finding zero fatalities among women aged 20-24 in England from 2020 to 2024 — the first such run on record.
- About 23 deaths would have been expected in that age group based on historical rates, and roughly 90% of women now aged 20-24 in England received the HPV vaccine at ages 12 or 13.
- The study addresses a long-standing concern that the vaccine might mainly be preventing cancers already caught by screening, rather than the fatal ones screening misses — the new death data suggests it does both.
- NHS England director of vaccination Caroline Temmink called the result a "real triumph" and said the vaccine is central to the NHS ambition to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040.
- Researchers estimate around 200 lives have already been saved, with roughly 18,000 deaths potentially preventable long-term as vaccinated cohorts age.
- The HPV vaccine has been offered to UK girls aged 12-13 since 2008 and to boys since 2019, but Sasieni warns uptake has fallen sharply since COVID and remains low worldwide, where cervical cancer rates are still rising.
Why it matters: If HPV vaccination holds, researchers estimate it could prevent roughly 18,000 cervical cancer deaths and underpins the NHS target of eliminating the disease by 2040 — but Sasieni flags that falling teen uptake since COVID threatens that trajectory both in England and globally.
