Continuous decrease in cervical cancer in younger women between 2007 to 2020

For individuals younger than 25 years, the incidence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) decreased continuously from 2007 through 2020, according to a research letter published online July 25 in JAMA Oncology.

Rachael Adcock, Ph.D., from the University of New Mexico Center for HPV Prevention in Albuquerque, and colleagues updated the previous report of the population-level incidence of CIN grades 1, 2, and 3 for individuals aged 15 to 29 years from 2007 through Dec. 31, 2020. Incidence rates were estimated annually per 100,000 individuals screened.

The researchers found a decrease in the incidence of CIN3 from 240.2 in 2007 to 0 in 2020 (annual percentage change [APC], −34.0%) among those aged 15 to 19 years. The corresponding decreases in CIN2 and CIN1 were 896.4 to 371.7 and 3,468.3 to 743.5, respectively.

For individuals aged 20 to 24 years, the incidence of CIN3 decreased from 528.6 in 2007 to 325.2 in 2020 (APC, −5.8%); the corresponding decreases were 1,027.7 to 371.6 for CIN2 and 3,257.2 to 1,207.8 for CIN1. For those aged 25 to 29 years, increases were seen in the incidence of CIN3, CIN2, and CIN1 (from 437.9 to 985.9; 681.8 to 725.6; and from 2,092.4 to 2,484.4, respectively). The APC was only significant for CIN3, at 5.2%.

"If high HPV vaccination coverage is sustained, the age at which cervical screening initiation is recommended might be increased further and the number of lifetime cervical screens potentially reduced," the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to Hologic and Becton Dickinson.

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