Vaccine-preventable cancers

40% of all cancers are preventable and vaccination is a proven preventive measure for both the human papillomavirus (HPV) and the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Every year, one million cases of cancer worldwide can be prevented through vaccination against HPV and hepatitis B¹.

HPV

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women aged 15-44 in the EU, with 58,000 new cases annually. Furthermore, 14,700 annual anogenital cancers can be attributed to HPV, with 5,400 occurring in men. HPV vaccination during adolescence can help prevent cervical cancer, as well as other cancers that affect both men and women, including head and neck, anal, vulvar, vaginal and penile cancer². The WHO has started the Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative, which relies on vaccination, screening and treatment. It sets a target to get 90% of girls vaccinated for HPV before age 15. Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan echoes this target and sets out an additional target to significantly increase HPV vaccination for boys.

Hepatitis B

HBV results in 60,000 deaths annually and in Germany, 93% of HBV cases occurred in unvaccinated individuals. The hepatitis B vaccines are highly effective in preventing chronic hepatitis B infections that could lead to liver cancer. Prevention through vaccination could significantly reduce the incidence of liver cancer, and Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan aims to improve access to and uptake of vaccines for hepatitis B. This is a necessary step to achieve the WHO goal of 90% reduction in cases by 2030.

Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan represents a unique opportunity for the elimination of vaccine-preventable cancers in Europe and we welcome its ambitious targets. We also support the recent Council Recommendation on vaccine-preventable cancers and welcome the Commission’s intention to promote R&D and innovation for HBV and HPV vaccines, noting the importance of extending this support to innovations in early detection, diagnosis, and treatment.

Comprehensive and timely data can enable and support evidence-based public health policies and interventions to better protect Europeans in the fight against vaccine-preventable cancers. With strong immunisation policies and programmes that are effectively implemented, we have a unique opportunity to eliminate disease and infection-associated cancers by:

Helping to enable Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan to achieve its objectives, tracking progress with defined KPIs and supporting accountability in its holistic and timely implementation by all stakeholders, in particular Member States.

Ensuring high-quality data is translated into policy recommendations.

Establishing forums at the EU level involving all relevant national stakeholders for sharing best practices.

Ensuring sufficient and sustained resource allocation for building and maintaining national level data, disease, and cancer surveillance systems, with adequate levels of transparency and regular and timely publication of those data to stakeholders.

Supporting Member States in identifying the appropriate channels to reach populations at large toward participation in screening and vaccination campaigns and ensuring sufficient communication.

Increasing accessibility to vaccination through innovative delivery systems and optimisation of existing pathways by removing physical and bureaucratic barriers.

[1] de Martel C, Georges D, Bray F, Ferlay J, Clifford GM. Global burden of cancer attributable to infections in 2018: a worldwide incidence analysis. The Lancet Global Health. 2020;8(2):e180-e190
[2] Hartwig S, St Guily JL, Dominiak-Felden G, Alemany L, de Sanjosé S. Estimation of the overall burden of cancers, precancerous lesions, and genital warts attributable to 9-valent HPV vaccine types in women and men in Europe. Infectious Agents and Cancer. 2017;12(1):19