On the Path to Prevention from the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program July 2022

HPV vaccination is safe, effective, and durable. Ongoing studies monitoring the effectiveness against infections, pre-cancers, cancers and other HPV diseases have repeatedly shown safety, effectiveness, and durability. In this month’s newsletter, one of the articles highlighted adds to the growing evidence base.

While the summer days pass by, back-to-school season is upon us. This is the time for children to get recommended vaccinations. Make sure to promote catching up on missed doses of HPV vaccination and also on-time doses of HPV vaccination for which 9-12-year-old children are newly due. HPV vaccination can be given safely with other recommended vaccinations.

We know parents and caregivers want high-quality, accurate information to make decisions. We have many resources for parents and caregivers and health care providers through our public awareness campaign, Path to a Bright Future. We have several Path to a Bright Future resources available, including:

Become a campaign partner and help improve on-time HPV vaccination coverage.

Lastly, COVID-19 remains ever-present among us. The effects of the pandemic on HPV vaccination and so much more abound. However, we are excited about the recent recommendation for COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 6 months and older. COVID-19 vaccinations are widely available now for almost all of us. Find ways to learn more and access COVID-19 vaccinations.

HPV vaccination is cancer prevention.

Summer is half over. That means it’s time for families with children to prepare for the school year. While summer can be a busy time, it is important to schedule appointments for annual physicals and recommended vaccinations. This is more important now than ever.

Many children have missed their yearly wellness visits and vaccinations due to COVID-19. This includes the HPV vaccination. HPV vaccination isn’t just about preventing the disease now. It gives a lifetime of protection against 6 types of life-threatening HPV cancers. These include cervical, vaginal, vulvar, anal, penile, and oral/throat cancers.

The CDC recommends giving the HPV vaccine to children ages 11-12. But children can get it as early as age 9. And it is recommended through age 26. If you have the opportunity to protect your child from cancer before it ever starts, why wouldn’t you?

St. Jude and our Path to a Bright Future partners are working to ensure children are protected against HPV and HPV cancers before they head back to school. We are asking parents and caregivers to sign a pledge to commit to vaccinating their children against HPV. I hope you'll support this important cause by sharing these social posts to your audiences or networks.

Join us Tuesday, July 19, from noon to 12:30 p.m. CST for Twitter Chat @StJudeResarch with HPV cancer survivor, advocate, and father Jason Mendelsohn (@SupermanHPV). We will discuss HPV cancer prevention and the need for HPV vaccination during the back-to-school season.

ImmunizeTN and HPV Cancer Free Tennessee launched a public awareness campaign on June 13 called TN Vaccinates. This HPV Vaccination campaign is also supported by the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program. The campaign focuses on those living in rural areas of Tennessee. It is a social media campaign aimed to increase awareness about childhood vaccinations. It also seeks to build skills to recognize vaccine misinformation among parents, especially in rural areas. Follow ImmunizeTN on Facebook , Instagram and Twitter. Be sure to like, share, and retweet the posts across platforms.

Join the TN Vaccinates Campaign as an organization or individual here.

The U.S. Cancer Statistics Data Visualizations tool has a fresh new look, enhanced navigation, and new 2019 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. Then find “cancers grouped by attributable risk factors” in 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 (2019 or 2015–19), by state, by race and ethnicity, and by age.

In the U.S., the nearly 37,000 cases are largely oropharyngeal and cervical. The actual number of oropharyngeal cancer cases exceeds the number of cervical cancer cases. Find more 2019 HPV cancer data through the U.S. Cancer Statistics 2019, available online.
here.

We celebrate National Disability Independence Day this month. This honors the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act on 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 that cervical cancer screening among women with disabilities have been lower as compared to women in the general population. This is especially true among women who have physical disabilities. Click here to learn more.

A study by Ryan et al. (2022) explored challenges to HPV vaccination. They did this through the perspectives of clinic managers in family practice and pediatric clinics. They found that many efforts to implement evidence-based interventions to promote HPV vaccination coverage were disrupted by the pandemic. Health care providers reported, "HPV is Probably Not at the Top of Our List.," reflecting due to deprioritization due to competing demands.

During the pandemic, the authors noted that clinics struggled to provide routine care. As a result, many adolescents missed HPV vaccinations. Health care providers and researchers will need to recommit to implementing evidence-based interventions and use existing strategies to promote HPV vaccination.

In the U.S., continued monitoring of HPV vaccination effectiveness shows that it works. The original article by Rosenblum et al. (2022) estimated HPV vaccination impact and effectiveness for vaccinated and unvaccinated sexually experienced males and females. They found HPV vaccination resulted in fewer infections (i.e., lower prevalence) and increased protection against HPV cancers. Perkins et al. (2022) provided commentary on the article. They acknowledged the gains realized through HPV vaccination. They also underscore the importance of mitigating the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on HPV vaccination rates. With the high variability of HPV vaccination coverage in the U.S., concerted efforts to improve uptake are urgently needed.

Ethan Damiani is an undergraduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). He is going into his fourth year studying biochemistry and will start to apply to PhD programs in the next year. Ethan was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, but he lived in over 15 different places before he left for college. Ethan plays for the Georgia Tech rugby team, loves baking bread, and enjoys pushing himself and learning new things. He also was referred to us by Melinda Wharton, MD, at the CDC, who previously led the division of immunization services there.

Ethan will be conducting a comprehensive search of literature related to HPV vaccination in childhood cancers and survivors. He will also help to evaluate an intervention to improve HPV vaccination in childhood cancer survivors and advise the development of a college ambassador program.

Access Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana , Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee State HPV Cancer Prevention Data Profiles at stjude.org/hpv.

The St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program has created HPV cancer prevention data profiles for Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. The state data profiles are an important tool that offer an at-a-glance look at HPV vaccination coverage and HPV cancers. Also included are state-specific opportunities and recommended actions.

We welcome your thoughts on the data profiles. Email PreventHPV@stjude.org to share your impressions, extra content we could add to the profiles, and possible uses of this resource. Be on the lookout for HPV Cancer Prevention data profiles for other states.

To have copies mailed to you, email PreventHPV@stjude.org.

The St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program focuses on increasing HPV vaccination and preventing HPV cancers. We have an opportunity for someone with exceptional talent to join our team. We will hire one postdoctoral fellow who understands and shares the objectives and impetus for St. Jude and our program and will continue to develop their own research programs. Apply here, or share the link with those who may be an exceptional fit for our team. For more information, visit stjude.org/hpv or email PreventHPV@stjude.org.

What were your favorite shows to watch as a child?

“I loved how my family would gather in the living room to eat popcorn and watch Gimme A Break and Who’s the Boss. Those were some of the best moments of my childhood.” – Andrea Stubbs, administrative director

“I loved Bonanza, Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. Saturday cartoons always included Looney Tunes, Scooby Doo and the Jackson 5. Friday and Saturday nights were for watching the Midnight Special with Wolfman Jack and Soul Train.” – Carol Minor, program coordinator

“When I was a kid, I always watched shows like Rugrats, Rocket Power, All That, Brace Face, Totally Spies, Proud Family, and Kim Possible, but I also watched tons of game shows and shows on TV Land.” – Julia Neely, program coordinator

“As a child, my favorite TV series was A Different World, which aired 6 seasons in the late '80s and early '90s and centered around the life of a first-year college student. The show captured my attention by showing how students with different cultural backgrounds navigated new friendships and relationships and found their adulthood identity.” – Brooke Morgan, program coordinator

“As a child I loved watching Gullah Gullah Island, Little Bear, Rugrats, but my favorites were the shows that I would watch with my grandmother, In the Heat of the Night and Young and The Restless.” – Portia Knowlton, program coordinator

“My favorite shows as a child were Hey Arnold, That’s So Raven, Proud Family, Sister Sister and Kim Possible.” – Duha Magzoub, graduate student assistant

“I loved watching Power Rangers, Scooby Doo, and Tom and Jerry. During the weeknights my whole family loved to sit together and watch American Idol, Survivor, and The Amazing Race.” – Ethan Damiani, undergraduate student intern

“When I was a child, I enjoyed shows such as Good Times, The Jeffersons, Sanford and Son, and Soul Train.” – Ursula Leflore, administrative specialist

“I watched way too much TV as a child. As a family, we watched several shows together, such as Diff’rent Strokes, Family Ties, Who’s the Boss, The Facts of Life, and The Dukes of Hazzard among others. My favorite shows to watch by myself were the World Wrestling Federation on Sunday nights and also Days of Our Lives in the summer.” – Heather Brandt, director

The St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program’s Path to a Bright Future campaign spotlights the benefits of on-time HPV vaccination to prevent cancer in children ages 9-12. The campaign also raises awareness of the dangers of HPV pre-cancers and cancers.

Join us:

Get your child vaccinated against HPV by their 13th birthday: If you or your child is in the recommended age range (ages 9-26 and possibly until age 45), get vaccinated.
Encourage others to get their children vaccinated: Normalize HPV vaccination as cancer prevention
Share the facts: HPV vaccination is safe, effective and durable. It prevents 6 types of cancer.

Learn more and join the campaign