HPV-Impfung und Krebsfrüherkennung
4-5% of all cancers worldwide are caused by HPV (human papillomaviruses). The most common cancer caused by HPV is cervical cancer. Over 90% of these cancers can be prevented by the 9-fold vaccination. Genital warts can also be reliably prevented by the vaccination.
The HPV vaccination is highly effective and safe for girls and boys (ideally before the first sexual contact). All children and adolescents aged 9-14 years are recommended by the WHO, among others, to be vaccinated against HPV with 2 doses. From the age of 15, 3 doses are recommended. Vaccination is no longer recommended from the age of 27. Immunocompromised patients should always receive 3 vaccine doses.
Almost all sexually active people acquire anogenital HPV infections from time to time in their lives, but these are usually no longer detectable after 6-18 months. However, HPV types 16 and 18 are carcinogenic and are among the high-risk HPV types against which you can be vaccinated. In the worst case scenario, chronic infection with high-risk HPV viruses can lead to invasive carcinoma after at least 7 years.
Therefore, in addition to vaccination, early cancer detection by cytology (Pap smear) is recommended for patients aged 21 to 70 every 3 years.
