The University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center has partnered with 69 other National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer centers to urge increased HPV vaccination and screening to eliminate cancers related to human papillomavirus (HPV), starting with cervical cancer.

Nearly 80M Americans (1 in every 4 individuals) is infected with HPV. Among this group of more than 200 related viruses are about a dozen types of high-risk HPV that cause more than 31,000 cases of cancer in the US annually.

"We can eliminate HPV-related cancers, but to accomplish this goal, our country needs to do a much better job vaccinating young people against HPV," said Howard Bailey, MD, professor, Hematology, Medical Oncology and Palliative Care and head, UW Carbone Cancer Center.

"We are asking health care providers to join us by strongly recommending the HPV vaccine, and parents to ask their health care providers about vaccination." 

Resources:

• "UW Carbone Joins Nation's Other Top Cancer Centers to End HPV-Caused Cancers," UW Health, June 7, 2018
• "Want to prevent your children from getting cancer? Doctors push HPV vaccine," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, July 9, 2018

Photo (top): Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Alpha Stock Images