The HPV Vaccine: A Game Changer for Cancer Prevention

The HPV vaccine is one of the most effective cancer-prevention tools in modern medicine. This game changer for ob-gyn health can reduce the risk of HPV-related cancers and genital warts by up to 99% in vaccinated populations.

How was the HPV vaccine developed?

Almost 40 years of research and development led to this game changer. In the 1970s, researchers came to suspect that HPV caused cervical cancer; by the early 1980s, German virologist Harald zur Hausen had identified HPV-16 and HPV-18 as the main cancer-causing strains; and by the 1990s, scientists were working on how to make a vaccine that would fight the virus.

International trials through the late 1990s and early 2000s showed that vaccines were extremely effective at preventing infection and precancerous lesions caused by high-risk HPV types, especially HPV-16 and HPV-18.

In 2006, the FDA approved the first HPV vaccine, Gardasil, for use in girls and young women aged 9–26 to protect against HPV-16, HPV-18, and two low-risk types that cause genital warts. Protection broadened in 2014 when the FDA approved Gardasil 9, which covered nine HPV types and protected against most HPV-related cancers. In 2018, the FDA expanded approval for the vaccine to include women and men aged 27–45.

ACOG has helped translate the scientific advances of HPV vaccine development into clinical practice by educating and empowering ob-gyns and health care professionals to recommend and administer the HPV vaccine. ACOG’s advocacy efforts also ensure that the vaccine continues to be used to prevent HPV-associated cancers. Learn more about ACOG’s HPV vaccination recommendations today.

Why does the vaccine matter?

Despite the success of cervical cancer screening in the United States, more than 13,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, and nearly 4,000 die from it, according to CDC. The burden of HPV-related disease beyond cervical cancer is even greater: Annually, between 250,000 and 1 million people are diagnosed with HPV-related cervical dysplasia, a precancerous condition that can require invasive diagnostics and treatments; between 7,000 and 10,000 people are diagnosed with HPV-related anal cancer; and more than 16,000 people are diagnosed with HPV-associated head and neck cancers.

What impact does this game changer have—and how can it shape the future of ob-gyn health?

Hear from ACOG Past President Verda Hicks, MD, FACOG, about how the HPV vaccine revolutionized ob-gyn health, the difference it has made for her patients, and what must happen next to maximize its potential.

Dr. Hicks is a gynecologic oncologist with over four decades of clinical experience. She specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of gynecologic cancers and preinvasive diseases of the vulva, vagina, and cervix.

As we mark ACOG's 75th year, our Game Changers series will highlight breakthroughs that have reshaped ob-gyn care and explore what they mean for the future of health. Stay tuned—a new game changer will be featured each month!