On the Path to Prevention from the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program July 2021

In this month’s path to prevention e-newsletter, we celebrate parents and caregivers as part of National Parents’ Day and acknowledge the challenges parents and caregivers have faced and continue to face during the COVID-19 pandemic. We know parents and caregivers make many decisions – big and small – about protecting their children every day. We hope one of those is to protect children today with HPV vaccination to prevent HPV cancers in the future. We all play a role in building confidence in HPV vaccination and sharing the facts about HPV vaccination as cancer prevention. These efforts to promote vaccinations are more important today than ever because of the effects of the pandemic on recommended vaccinations. Parents and caregivers: We see you, we celebrate you, and we support you.

Every month, our program will send an email like this. We hope you will share it with others who may be interested and ask them to subscribe, too. We also want to hear from you if you have opportunities and information we can share. Email PreventHPV@stjude.org with any questions.

HPV vaccination is cancer prevention.

Josh, a public health professional and married parent of four in Mississippi, shares his perspective on HPV vaccination for his stepdaughter. He reminds us all that sometimes parents have to ask for HPV vaccination.

For my wife and me, there was never any question about whether my stepdaughter would receive the HPV vaccine. We wanted it because we knew it helped prevent certain cancers. Before my stepdaughter’s annual check-up for the seventh-grade school year, a year where students in Mississippi are required to receive certain shots and vaccines to attend public school, my wife and I knew we wanted to talk with the health care provider about the HPV vaccine, which is not one of the state’s required vaccines.

During the visit, the health care provider ran down the list of the vaccines needed. They talked in depth about them, sharing what each was, what they did, and potential side effects. Then, they finished with the HPV vaccine. The provider gave no description of what the HPV vaccine was and what it prevented, only that it was not required. We don’t know why the same amount of information was not provided on the HPV vaccine as the other vaccines, but that didn’t stop my wife and me from making sure my stepdaughter received the HPV vaccine. Luckily, we knew the importance of the HPV vaccine and its role in preventing certain cancers to advocate for my stepdaughter to receive it. Unfortunately, there are probably many parents who don’t know as much about the HPV vaccine and, therefore, might not insist that their child receives it.

It’s important for all parents to make sure your child receives the HPV vaccine. The HPV vaccine allows us to protect our children from certain cancers. And, depending on your provider, it may be up to you to make sure your child receives it.

The CDC has information especially for parents. Read more.

From June 9-10, 2021, the National HPV Vaccination Roundtable annual meeting offered an opportunity for attendees to hear the best and promising practices to prevent HPV cancers. The theme “Reaching for New Heights” in adolescent immunization was inspired by recent NASA efforts to promote the progress of science. Conference presentations and panel discussions emphasized a focus to get adolescent vaccinations that were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic back on track. Content experts also addressed health equity in HPV vaccination among diverse communities, how best to understand the impact of other key determinants on adolescent vaccination rates, and the growing benefits of starting HPV vaccination at age 9 to achieve higher completion rates. There was a keen presence from cancer survivors and advocates to help guide many of the discussions and to add a personal perspective to the important message that HPV vaccination is cancer prevention.

The St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program helped to facilitate two important pre-recorded inspirational message to support the conference: Hayley Arceneaux, a childhood cancer survivor and physician assistant at St. Jude who was selected as the inspirational astronaut for the upcoming all civilian space crew on Inspiration 4; and Rachael Murray, mom to cancer survivor, Annabelle. Both shared their very powerful and heartfelt stories about their support for the HPV vaccination.

Access all meeting recordings and materials. Don’t miss out on the National HPV Vaccination Roundtable’s other resources too.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our health and well-being beyond the damage caused by the virus, with profound implications across the healthcare system. In nearly every U.S. community, elective surgeries have been postponed and routine care has been delayed. Amid closed health care settings and fears of contracting COVID-19, routine vaccination rates have declined significantly across all age groups, with demand plummeting as much as 95 percent for some vaccines. These declines are dangerous to public health, and we can no longer delay life-saving vaccines. The St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program recently signed on to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases “Keep Up The Rates” campaign as a supporting organization with more than 100 other campaign partners. Keep Up The Rates is a national campaign to encourage all individuals to receive recommended vaccines that may have been delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic, engaging national experts and leading public health organizations to reach populations most at risk of delaying vaccinations or experiencing complications from vaccine-preventable diseases. People of all ages, from newborn babies to older adults, need to stay up-to-date on recommended immunizations to help prevent serious diseases. Vaccines are one of the most important and effective public health tools available to prevent a variety of diseases across the lifespan. The campaign encourages everyone to talk to a health care professional to make sure they are current on all recommended vaccines. Vaccines also help protect those around us—we all have an important role in keeping our communities safe and healthy during these challenging times.

Learn more about the campaign.

2021 Virtual Head and Neck Cancer Survivorship Symposium

The Head and Neck Cancer Alliance and the American Head and Neck Society are pleased to announce the 2021 Virtual Head and Neck Cancer Survivorship Symposium on July 20-21, 2021. The symposium will include a series of webinars on topics important to thriving in long-term survivorship, including radiation side effects, stretching, difficulty swallowing, and other support services for survivors. Each webinar includes a 30-minute presentation and a Q&A. All sessions include a medical presenter, who will be paired with a head and neck cancer survivor. This year's symposium also includes a virtual survivor gathering with breakout sessions featuring voice actor and throat cancer survivor, Rob Paulsen, and tonsil cancer survivor and SupermanHPV, Jason Mendelsohn.

Registrants will also have access to American Head and Neck Society 10th International Conference sessions July 22 and July 24, 2021. The conference sessions include an opening ceremony featuring renowned chef and head and neck cancer survivor, Grant Achatz; the Milton J. Dance Symposium on survivorship and late effects; and a closing ceremony featuring Jim Kelly.

Learn more and register.

“What’s your why?”: The St. Jude HPV Team shares their “Why’s” for COVID-19 Vaccination

Parts of the U.S. continue to struggle with COVID-19 vaccination. This is true in Tennessee and surrounding mid-southern and southern states with the lowest rates of COVID-19 vaccination. COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be highly effective and very safe. The St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program team wants to be part of normalizing conversations to build confidence in COVID-19 vaccines. In this month’s e-newsletter, the team provides their “whys” for COVID-19 vaccination.

"I was vaccinated to lower my chances of contracting COVID so that I could continue to care for my elderly parents safely.” – Ursula LeFlore, administrative specialist

"My mother checked daily for COVID-19 vaccine appointments with no success. It was a scary time, and I could tell she was concerned. Even though the vaccine came so quickly, she believed in the science to help protect herself and my father. A friend saved the day, and we (me, too) all got the COVID-19 vaccine. I love being in the company of my family knowing each of us is protected.” – Carol Minor, program coordinator

“Family is very important to me. Early in the pandemic, I made the difficult decision to give up things I loved in exchange for the safety and protection of the people I love the most. The COVID-19 vaccine gave me peace of mind to be able to spend time with my family safely and get back to some of the activities I used to enjoy.” – Julia Neely, program coordinator

“Early in the pandemic, a dear friend’s 46-year-old partner was diagnosed with COVID-19. She and their daughter, at times, lost hope during his 56-day hospital stay. He survived, but it was a long, hard fight. I did not want that to be my story or the story for my aging loved ones. From that moment, I decided I would get vaccinated so that my loved ones and I could have more quality years of living.” – Andrea Stubbs, administrative director

“My grandma lives in an assisted living facility, and my mom is high risk. I was vaccinated as soon as I could be to protect them and my community. I have not yet had the chance to hug my grandma, but my post-vaccination hug of my mom was among the sweetest. I am ready for more hugs.” – Heather Brandt, director

Did You Know..

The U.S. Cancer Statistics 2018 data are now available. The U.S. Cancer Statistics Data Visualizations tool has a fresh new look, enhanced navigation, and new 2018 data. These features make it easier for researchers, clinicians, policy makers, public health professionals, and communities to find cancer data. You can use the Data Visualizations tool to find the information you need to understand, prevent, and control cancer.
You can access HPV-associated cancer data by selecting “special analysis” from the main page menu and then “cancers grouped by attributable risk factors” from the dropdown menu. On the “cancers grouped by attributable risk factor” page, select the “HPV” dataset from the dropdown menu. From here, you can review rates of new HPV-associated cancers overall, by sex, by year (2018 or 2014-2018), by state, by race and ethnicity, and by age.

National and Global Health Observances

National Parents’ Day is July 25, 2021. Parenting is no small undertaking, and the sacrifices and accomplishments of parenting are to be celebrated. Everyday parents, like Josh who shared his story earlier in this month’s e-newsletter, make important decisions that keep their children safe and healthy. Parents are responsible for filtering through endless amounts of information and using what they learn to then do what is best for their children. Josh and his wife made the important decision to vaccinate his stepdaughter against HPV. The St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program aims to build support around parents by providing accurate information about HPV vaccination, making the decision to vaccinate a little bit easier, and giving parents one less thing to worry about. This month we celebrate all parents and parental figures. The CDC’s Vaccinate with Confidence campaign seeks to protect communities, empower families, and stop myths. Parents: Learn more about HPV vaccination.

National Disability Independence Day will be celebrated July 26, 2021. People who are living with disabilities will celebrate their independence this month to commemorate the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act July 26, 1990. We looked at what is known about HPV cancer prevention among people who have disabilities. Unfortunately, inequities persist and require attention to ensure equal access and opportunity. Research has shown cervical cancer screening among women who have disabilities have been lower as compared to women in the general population. This is especially true among women who have physical disabilities. According to a recent publication by O’Neill et al. (2020), research is needed to develop a greater understanding of the barriers to vaccination for people with disabilities and their families, including the perspective of people with disability and the advice and attitudes of health professionals and vaccination providers. Vaccination in people with disabilities is an important issue of both health and equity and deserves further research and discussion. Learn more about the awareness day.