Opportunities to improve immune-based prevention of HPV-associated cancers

Abstract

Immunization of adolescent girls with VLP vaccines, made of L1 proteins from the most medically significant high risk HPV types, is a major strategy for prevention of cervical cancer plus other HPV-associated cancers. Maximal population impact, including through herd immunity, requires high vaccination coverage. However, protection of unvaccinated women requires secondary prevention through cytology screening. Unfortunately in countries with the highest incidence/mortality due to cervical cancer HPV vaccination (or cytology screening) is not sufficiently available. Vaccination programme costs and a lack of accessibility of the populations for immunization remain significant hurdles. Several approaches could increase effective implementation of HPV vaccination. 1) Use of a single immunization of the current VLP vaccines. 2) Vaccination bundled with other paediatric vaccines with lower dosage to facilitate delivery, improve coverage and reduce costs through established logistics. 3) Local manufacture with lower cost systems (e.g. bacteria) for VLP or capsomer based vaccine production and utilization of additional protective epitopes (e.g L2) for increasing breadth of protection. However, all the latter need appropriate clinical validation. Gender neutral vaccination and extending routine vaccination strategies to women up to age 30 years in combination with at least one HPV screening test can also hasten impact on cancer incidence.