HPV Infections, Precancerous Lesions Drop Significantly—What’s Behind the Decrease?

HPV infections and precancerous lesions have dropped significantly since the introduction of a vaccine.

The recommended age for the HPV vaccine is around 11 to 12 years old, but it’s approved for people as young as nine and as old as 45.

Prevention is key, noted Beman R. Khulpateea, M.D., a board-certified, fellowship-trained gynecologic oncologist in The Gynecologic Oncology Center at Mercy. Dr. Khulpateea explained that Pap smears are administered starting at age 21 and are recommended every three years. Once women reach their 30s, primary HPV testing is recommended every five years.

In addition, Dr. Khulpateea commented on a new “at-home” HPV test alternative to the Pap smear that is now available for people between the ages of 30 and 65.

“It’s exciting in the sense that it’s something that we can offer patients who don't have access to come in and see the doctors,” Dr. Khulpateea said. “I think if you live in a more remote area, sometimes it literally can be an hours-long drive to see the doctor. And so, if you can get that testing in the self-test, I think that can be beneficial.”

But there is a time when not to use the self-test.

“What we don’t want… is [for the at-home test to] sort of replace going to the doctor because there are more things that we do than just doing a Pap smear. And so, I would always say, at the very least, it could help us catch things that we may be missing, and so, in that sense, it has a lot of potential to do good, I think,” Dr. Khulpateea said.

Studies show 90% of cervical cancers are caused by HPV, so getting the vaccine is extremely important.

According to Dr. Khulpateea, another factor is that boys are getting the HPV vaccine as well, and since the disease is spread through sexual contact, it helps protect the women but also protects men from head-and-neck cancers that are associated with HPV.

View Mercy gynecologic oncologist and surgeon Dr. Beman Khulpateea’s interview regarding protection against cervical cancer and related HPV disease.