HPV Vaccination and Screening for Faster HPV and Cervical Cancer Prevention in Women Ages 22 to 27 in Sweden

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are investigating whether offering organized HPV vaccination alongside HPV screening to all women aged 22 to 27 in Sweden can speed up the elimination of HPV infection at the population level. Cervical cancer, caused mainly by HPV types targeted by vaccines, remains a serious health issue with many diagnoses and deaths annually in Sweden and worldwide. This study follows global strategies recommended by the World Health Organization to eliminate cervical cancer through vaccination, screening, and treatment. Women aged 22 to 26 will be offered the Gardasil 9 vaccine and HPV screening together. The initial dose of Gardasil 9 will be given at recruitment, followed by a second dose three years later. This approach aims to provide faster protection compared to current vaccination programs that focus mainly on younger girls and boys. The study began with a regional pilot in 2021 and plans to expand to other regions. Participants will have HPV prevalence measured at recruitment and then again at their second and third cervical screening visits, three and six years later. Researchers will also track cases of cervical precancerous changes and cancer, resource use, obstetrical complications, and benign cervical specimen findings at these intervals. Participants will be followed through regular cervical screening appointments as part of the studys long-term assessment of HPV elimination and cervical cancer prevention.

Concomitant HPV Vaccination and HPV Screening HPV Infection and Cervical Cancer in Sweden