Preventive effect of human papillomavirus vaccination on the development of uterine cervical lesions in young Japanese women

Aim To examine the effect that human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination has had in Akita Prefecture, by comparing cervical cytology results from women aged 20–24 years with or without HPV vaccination. Methods We examined cervical cytology results from 2425 subjects who underwent cervical cancer screening under the jurisdiction of the Akita Foundation for Healthcare between January 2014 and October 2016. We compared the prevalence of cytologic abnormalities among women aged 20–24 years with or without HPV vaccination. Results The rate of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) or worse was 0.242% (1/413) with HPV vaccination, and 2.04% (41/2012) without HPV vaccination. Overall, the prevalence of abnormal cytology results was significantly lower in women aged 20–24 years who had received an HPV vaccination than in those who had not (P = 0.011). The reduction in the rate of abnormal cervical cytology results by HPV vaccination was 88.1%. Conclusion Within a 4-year–5-year period following vaccination, women aged 20–24 years who received an HPV vaccination had significantly lower rates of abnormal cervical cytology results than those who did not receive the vaccine.