Recently, there have been a lot of inquiries and discussions about cervical cancer vaccination (also known as HPV vaccine) because it is currently not available in China, and many women say they want to go to Hong Kong to get the HPV vaccine, which shows that people are very concerned about their health! However, I would like to remind you that vaccination against cervical cancer does not mean 100% prevention of cervical cancer because the current vaccine fails to target all cancer-causing virus subtypes, and the most effective means of cervical cancer prevention internationally is always regular cervical cancer screening! Cervical cancer is one of the major malignancies in women, with more than 500,000 new cases worldwide each year, about 1/3 of which come from China. In China, the incidence and mortality rate of cervical cancer is high, with reports indicating that the mortality rate in China ranges from 3/100,000 to 200/100,000 per year, with 4 out of every 1,000 women finding cervical cancer and 2 out of every 10,000 women dying of cervical cancer. What is the relationship between HPV virus and cervical cancer? About 10 types of HPV can cause cervical cancer, and the statistics from the Institute of Oncology of Peking Union Medical College show that the infection rate among women in China is 14.2% (1 in 7 Chinese women is infected with high-risk HPV). The HPV16 and HPV18 viruses are responsible for about 70% of cervical cancer cases worldwide, and the rate is higher in China, about 86%. Of course, there are people who are infected with HPV and never get cervical cancer, so the two cannot be equated together. How is HPV contracted? The most common way of HPV infection is through sexual intercourse, but not only through sexual intercourse, close contact can lead to HPV infection in women, so there is a chance for women to be infected with HPV during their lifetime. What is the most suitable age and population for the cervical cancer vaccine? Since HPV vaccine is to prevent HPV infection but not to treat it, the best protection can be obtained by getting HPV vaccine before the risk of infection comes (that is, before the first sexual attempt). The World Health Organization (WHO) points out that the most suitable age for HPV vaccination is 11-12 years old, and the people who can get HPV vaccine protection are 9-26 years old. Men will HPV infection can also suffer from condyloma acuminata, penile cancer, anal cancer and other diseases. Although the chance is low, infected men can still transmit HPV to their sexual partners, so vaccination is also meaningful for men, so it is still beneficial to a person’s health to receive HPV vaccine. What kinds of cervical cancer vaccines are currently available internationally? So far there are two HPV vaccines on the market for cervical cancer prevention, one is Gardasil (English name: Gardasil) also known as Gardisil or Silgard, which is a 4-valent vaccine that can prevent cervical cancer, vaginal cancer, anal cancer, and condyloma caused by HPV 6, 11, 16, and 18, which was approved and marketed in the United States in 2006 by Mercer. The other is GlaxoSmithKline’s Cervarix™, a bivalent vaccine that protects against HPV-16 and HPV-18, the two culprits that cause more than 70% of cervical cancers. Although the cervical cancer vaccine has been marketed in more than 160 countries worldwide (it has also been promoted in Hong Kong and Taiwan), clinical trials have been delayed in mainland China, while the cervical cancer vaccine developed by Xiamen University in China has completed Phase I and Phase II clinical trials and is currently in Phase III clinical trials. Does cervical cancer vaccination mean that I won’t get cervical cancer? The cervical cancer vaccine does not mean 100% prevention of cervical cancer because the current vaccine does not target all cancer-causing virus subtypes (12 high-risk subtypes, of which the current vaccine can only target 2), so the cervical cancer vaccine is not a substitute for regular cervical cancer screening! How cervical cancer arises: The factors leading to cervical cancer are complicated, there are various reasons such as genetic DNA or HPV virus, but there is a cycle of cervical cancer formation, this cycle is about 5-10 years time, usually relevant screening is done every 1 year, within this period of time as long as the examination determines the signs of cancer, immediate surgery can be cured. Screening mainly examines CIN lesions: CIN1, CIN2 and CIN3, of which CIN3 is the one with the highest risk of cervical cancer. Three lines of defense for cervical cancer: First line of defense: HPV vaccination, mainly for women aged 9-26 who are not having sex. Second line of defense: Women over 21 years old or women who have been sexually active for more than 3 years should have TCT cervical screening at least once every two years (even after HPV vaccination). If the above tests reveal positive HPV, then colposcopy can be done to take a small amount of tissue from the cervix for pathological examination to determine if they are in precancerous conditions. The third line of defense: for moderate and severe precancerous lesions (CIN2 and 3), surgery, i.e. cervical conization, should be done to determine whether they are more serious cervical carcinoma in situ, early invasive carcinoma of the cervix, or invasive carcinoma of the cervix, so that the doctor can provide reasonable treatment. It can be said that the development of cervical cancer can be stopped at an early stage if cancer prevention examinations are done regularly in this way.