Expanding HPV prevention across the life course: evidence on vaccine effectiveness in adults.
This narrative review synthesizes evidence on HPV vaccination in adults aged 18–45 years, reporting associations with reduced HPV infection and persistence while finding variable estimates for high-grade cervical lesions and considering recurrence, HPV-related cancers, and anogenital warts.
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This narrative review synthesizes evidence on HPV vaccination in adults aged 18–45 years, reporting associations with reduced HPV infection and persistence while finding variable estimates for high-grade cervical lesions and considering recurrence, HPV-related cancers, and anogenital warts.
Research significance
The reviewed evidence suggests that adult HPV vaccination may reduce some HPV infections and related disease outcomes; it is an inference—not established by this narrative review—that broader life-course vaccination could prevent later HPV-associated cancers or post-treatment recurrence, with only indirect relevance to pediatric oncology.
Source abstract
Despite Human Papillomavirus (HPV) remaining a major global public health concern and affecting all age groups and genders, most HPV vaccination programmes mainly target female adolescents. This narrative review synthesizes and critically discusses recent evidence on the effectiveness of HPV vaccination among adults to inform its integration into adult immunization programmes. A substantial body of recent literature has examined the effectiveness of HPV vaccination in adult populations. Across the literature, vaccine effectiveness has been evaluated in relation to (1) HPV infection and viral dynamics, (2) precancerous cervical lesions (HSIL/CIN), (3) prevention of post-treatment recurrence, (4) HPV-related cancers, and (5) anogenital warts. Some associations were found between HPV vaccination and reduced HPV infection and viral persistence, whilst effect estimates varied widely across studies for high-grade cervical lesions (CIN2+). This review aims to characterize the effectiveness of the HPV vaccination amongst adults (18-45 years) in preventing human papillomavirus infections and HPV related disease outcomes. By synthesizing and evaluating recent evidence on HPV vaccine efficacy, we aim to assess its relevance in expanding HPV vaccination within life-course immunization programs.