Cervical cancer deaths have plummeted among young women, US study finds

(Emily Cooke/ Live Science) — Cervical cancer deaths have fallen sharply among young women in the United States since 2013, new research reveals.

According to data from the National Center for Health Statistics, a government agency, around 13 women aged younger than 25 died from cervical cancer between 2019 and 2021, compared to 35 between 2013 and 2015 — a 62% decrease in cancer-related deaths.

Researchers described their findings in a study published Wednesday (Nov. 27) in the journal JAMA. They say the study is the first of its kind to suggest that vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) is now preventing cervical cancer deaths in young women, specifically. HPV vaccination was introduced in the U.S. in 2006. It works by preventing high-risk HPV infections, the most common cause of cervical cancer.

“This is a critical milestone in the public health success story of this cancer prevention intervention,” Ashish Deshmukh, study co-author and an associate professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, told Live Science in an email. (…)