Deaths from this cancer can now be virtually eliminated

It’s the fourth leading type of cancer for women across the world, but new research shows that cervical cancer has met its match. The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, Gardisil 9, was the subject of a just-published study in the U.K. demonstrating a remarkable and rare 100 percent decrease in cancer deaths. For the doctors fighting this cancer, which has a five-year mortality rate of just over 31 percent, the news is a refreshing affirmation that the medical community is making strides. The vaccine in the study is the same one given in the U.S.

(Cancer vaccines are showing promise. Here’s how they work.)

The study was published in The Lancet on June 17, and lead researcher Peter Sasieni, professor of cancer epidemiology at Queen Mary University of London and director of the Cancer Research U.K. Cancer Prevention Trials Unit at the same school, called the results “a little surprising.” This is because the study showed that in the age 20 to 24 group, where 90 percent had been vaccinated against HPV, there wasn’t a single death from cervical cancer.

“I was expecting to see a fall in deaths from cervical cancer, but I was not expecting to see zero deaths for five years running,” he says. “I was absolutely delighted.”

Here’s what researchers found, and what it means for the future of HPV and cervical cancer.

The study’s findings: 100 percent reduced death rate for cervical cancer

The study itself considered data from 2001 to 2024 in women from three age groups—20 to 24, 25 to 29, and 30 to 34. Since most from the youngest group had been vaccinated at age 12 or 13, this was the first group to have the most access to the vaccine. Older groups had different access, as some were offered the vaccine up to age 18, and chose to get it. In the 25 to 29 age group, there was a 100 percent decrease in deaths (to zero) as well, and for those with less access or awareness of the vaccine in the 30 to 34 group, a 63 percent decrease.

“The effect is huge,” says Sasieni. “We have reduced deaths from cancer of the cervix by at least 80 percent."

Of course, since this was an observational study, he warns that in practical application, zero doesn’t mean there’s no chance of death. “I would not be surprised if there are one or two deaths in this age group when the data are available for 2025,” he says. “But the public health community set out to greatly reduce cancer of the cervix and deaths from cancer of the cervix, and they have achieved just that.”

“The reason for this stunning level of effectiveness is likely because the vaccine generates a very strong immune response which is durable, the vaccine is being given before exposure, and also because the 9-valent vaccine covers the types that cause over 90 percent of cervical cancers,” adds Andrea Tufano-Sugarman, gynecologic medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Commack, New York.

In addition to this study, an analysis released in May 2026 from the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy found that HPV vaccines are effective and safe for patients, preventing pre-cancers and cervical cancer, along with potentially providing protection against additional HPV-related cancers. The worldwide analysis included 121 studies and suggests that even a single vaccine dose can protect against HPV infection.

May 2024 research published in the British Medical Journal showed that almost 30,000 women in England between the ages of 20 and 64 received a diagnosis of cervical cancer between January 2006 and June 2020. Additionally, more than 335,000 women were diagnosed with CIN3, a precancerous cell change in the cervix that can lead to cervical cancer. With the introduction of the HPV vaccine, the research found that girls who were vaccinated between the ages of 12 and 13 had an 83.9 percent reduction in cervical cancer diagnosis compared to unvaccinated women. Likewise, the same girls had a 94.3 percent reduction in CIN3 diagnosis.

The history of the HPV vaccine

In 2006, the first version of the Gardasil vaccine was approved for girls and young women in the U.S., and in 2014, Gardasil 9, a newer version, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Today, tMayo Clinic suggests both girls and boys receive the vaccine around age 11 or 12, or ideally before they are sexually active. Gardisil 9 is approved for ages 9 to 45, and those already diagnosed with HPV can still benefit from it.

The vaccine is what Robert Frenck, pediatrician at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and director of the Vaccine Research Center there, explains to his patients as a “vaccine to prevent cancer.” St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital shares it prevents infection from nine types of cancer-causing HPV types.

“Cervical cancer can take years to develop after an HPV infection,” Frenck adds. In addition, two-thirds of head and neck cancers come from HPV, and the vaccine can help with those too, including throat cancer from oral sex, as well as other cancers in STI-affected areas such as the vagina, anus, penis, and vulva.

Finally, and most convincingly for young boys and men considering the vaccine, Frenck says, it helps prevent genital warts.

Access and misinformation

Since the vaccine’s development, doctors like Frenck have been encouraging patients to take the vaccine due to such high success rates. But in the U.S., only around 63 percent have taken both required doses, according to September 2025 research published in Lancet Regional Health-Americas. Frenck says patients battle against myths around it causing infertility and even making kids sexually active—both unfounded claims.

While Americans in the U.S. fight misinformation, globally, it’s more of an issue with access, not acceptance of the vaccine.

(HPV is more common than you think. Here’s what doctors want you to know.)

“There are also implications for underserved areas, both on the global and national scale,” says Tufano-Sugarman.

“To moms and dads, this is motivation,” she says. “In the U.S., HPV vaccine series completion in 13 to 17-year-olds is only about 64 percent, much less than England's 90 percent coverage. There is room for improvement, and it's not room we can afford to forgo.”

What experts want you to know about the vaccine now

Frenck shares that this new study might help inform patients of the full positive effects HPV can have going forward. Stephanie Alimena, gynecologic oncologist at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, says this means “everyone, and I mean everyone, should get the vaccine…the more people are vaccinated, the more herd immunity there is, and the lower the rates of all HPV related cancers.” She adds that the news is “so exciting” because for roughly 20 years, physicians have waited for these expected results.

“For those currently eligible for the vaccine, this data turns a theoretical recommendation into a life-saving recommendation,” says Pinder. “If a child is vaccinated at age 12 or 13, their risk of dying from cervical cancer before age 30 is essentially zero."

However, this new research doesn’t change the current treatment options for those already living with cervical cancer or precancer. “While we must aggressively focus on expanding access to screening, secondary prevention, and high-quality oncologic care, we cannot abandon or lose sight of championing innovations for the women who are currently navigating the disease,” Pinder says.

Although there’s still much work to be done, this week, the cancer and global health communities are taking the zero-death research as a win. Pinder says, “The single most vital statistic is zero.”