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

This month, we are pleased to release an initial summary report outlining public policy recommendations based on drivers of HPV vaccination coverage in the United States. The St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program worked with FTI Consulting to conduct an analysis of public policy decisions and factors driving HPV vaccination coverage. The report outlines 5 key policy recommendations for improving HPV vaccination coverage and if these are put into practice, up to $26 million could be saved annually. Read the report.

The NIS-Teen 2021 data were released on September 2. HPV vaccination in adolescents aged 13-17 years rose by almost 2% from 2020 to 2021. However, significant disparities persist among certain groups of adolescents – and the pandemic has affected vaccination coverage as well. A short summary of the new report is included in this newsletter.

September also marks 2 awareness months that stress the importance of HPV vaccination. Read more below about these exciting observances.

HPV vaccination is cancer prevention.

HPV vaccination plays an important role in cancer prevention. It allows us to play an active role in our health and the health of our families.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. St. Jude leads the way the world understands, treats, and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Many more children are alive today and will be alive tomorrow as a result of advances in care. Childhood cancer survivors, however, are much less likely to be vaccinated against HPV while being at higher risk for future second cancers caused by HPV. This is an important priority to ensure children who survive cancer are vaccinated to prevent a future HPV cancer. This is a time to raise awareness about research, treatments, and cures. Childhood cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease for children under age 14. While the causes of childhood cancer are not completely understood, we know that it is likely to be caused by certain genetic changes. We may not be able to prevent all childhood cancers, but we can protect children against HPV cancers later in life by vaccinating them beginning at age 9.

September is also Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month. Gynecologic cancer is any cancer that starts in a woman’s reproductive organs. and includes five main types: cervical, ovarian, uterine, vaginal, and vulvar. Cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancers are three of the types of gynecologic cancers caused by HPV. HPV vaccination protects against the types of HPV that most often cause these three types of cancer cancers. While there have undoubtedly been improvements in prevention and early detection, we have much work to do. This was apparent when a recently released study by Francouer et al. showed advanced cases of cervical cancer are increasing in the United States. HPV vaccination to prevent new cases of cancers with appropriate screening and follow-up care are urgently needed to reserve this unsettling trend.

Learn more about the Path to a Bright Future campaign here and join the campaign here. Access this month's awareness month social media content here by scrolling to the bottom.

Cervical cancer rates have increased by 1.3% every year between 2001 – 2018 in the United States.

A recent study in International Journal of Gynecological Cancer found that advanced cervical cancer rates are rising. Alex Andrea Francoeur, MD, and colleagues also found significant disparities. Similar results have been shown in the past, but this study explored trends among different socio-demographic factors in the U.S.

The study showed that Black and Hispanic women have higher incidence rates of advanced cervical cancer as compared to white women. But white women have greater annual increases of advanced cervical cancer. White women in the South aged 40–44 years had the highest rate in advanced cervical cancer. This rate rose 4.5% annually.

In comparison, Australia is set to eliminate cervical cancer by 2035 due to successful HPV vaccination and national cervical screening programs. By promoting on-time HPV vaccination, the U.S. could also eliminate cervical cancers one day.

St. Jude recently partnered with FTI Consulting to examine public policy decisions and related factors that drive HPV vaccination coverage nationwide.

This information will educate allies, partners, and advocates about public policy strategies, approaches, and opportunities that might have a meaningful impact on national, state, and local HPV vaccination coverage efforts. The analysis revealed factors with a positive relationship to HPV vaccination that may be leveraged to increase HPV vaccination coverage. Conversely, existing and new policies and regulations could help address factors that have a negative impact on HPV vaccination coverage. The 5 policy recommendations center on federal, state, and local policy opportunities. A cost savings analysis was also conducted to reveal millions of dollars in savings if HPV vaccination coverage is improved. Read the report.

The St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program is partnering with the National HPV Vaccination Roundtable, American Cancer Society, and Indiana Immunization Coalition to offer a series of 3 virtual seminars this fall. The seminars focus on improving HPV vaccination coverage.

Do you need help getting your state’s HPV vaccination rates back on track? The FREE virtual seminars are designed to build skills and enhance the ability of state teams to improve HPV vaccination coverage.

The pandemic has disrupted HPV vaccination, with more than 3.5 million doses missed since March 2020. Now is the time to address these gaps.

Register today for this series. All seminars take place from noon to 1:15 p.m. ET.

September 20: Putting HPV Vaccination Data to Work
October 18: Implementing Best Practices to Improve HPV Vaccination Coverage
November 15: Monitoring Process and Impact of Efforts to Improve HPV Vaccination Coverage

Learn more and register.

The CDC released the 2021 NIS-Teen data last week in an article published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The National Immunization Surveys (NIS) are a group of phone surveys used to monitor vaccine coverage among children and teens. The current report shows 2021 coverage for individuals who are 13–17 years old. In 2020, NIS-TEEN data showed 75.1% of respondents received at least the first dose (>1 dose) of HPV vaccination and 58.6% were up to date with the HPV vaccination series. In 2021, first dose percentage increased by 1.8% to 76.9% and the up-to-date percentage increased by 3.1% to 61.7%.

However, when compared to other recommended vaccinations for adolescents, HPV vaccination continues to lag behind. Disparities based on geographic, region, rurality, and poverty also persisted. Additional monitoring of the effects of the pandemic on adolescent vaccination continue to be needed.

Learn more about the NIS-Teen 2021 data in the virtual seminar, Putting HPV Vaccination Data to Work, on September 20 featuring Sandy Pingali, lead author on the NIS-Teen data report. Learn more and register.

The second annual meeting of the Memphis and Shelby County HPV Cancer Prevention Roundtable takes place Wednesday, September 21, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event features virtual and in-person attendance (100 capacity) at the Memphis Botanic Garden. The meeting aims to identify ways to collaborate to increase HPV vaccination rates among 9–12-year-olds and prevent HPV cancers in Memphis and Shelby County.

At this meeting, the roundtable will build on the great work that started last year, including provider education seminars, operational growth, and the development of the roundtable’s HPV goals.

The meeting will include:

Reports on organizational growth since the kickoff meeting in fall 2021
Development of the roundtable’s HPV goals
Presentations on the latest HPV data and efforts to improve HPV vaccination coverage in clinical settings

Fred Dominguez, MD, from Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science will deliver a keynote address on data visualization and data storytelling.

Learn more about the agenda and speakers. Register today.

The St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program works with selected states to improve HPV vaccination coverage. This work includes collaborating with state coalitions, organizations, and other key allies and partners to galvanize existing successful efforts and also support new ones. Following are a few updates on some of these activities to showcase the excellent work being done within states.

Alabama

The Office of Community Outreach and Engagement from the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at University of Alabama at Birmingham hosted the 2022 Community Dissemination Institute. Portia Knowlton of the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program discussed the program and its activities. She also explained how allies and partners in Alabama and Mississippi collaborate with the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program. The summit provided attendees with the fuel to reignite their flames and continue to spread awareness about cancer prevention and control.

Arkansas

Julia Neely of the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program took part in the ImmunizeAR = Arkansas Immunization Action Coalition 2022 Immunization Summit and the 2022 Arkansas Chapter American Academy of Pediatrics Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas. Through participation in both these events, the HPV Cancer Prevention Program supported educational efforts to improve HPV vaccination coverage and engaged more than 100 providers and immunization leaders statewide.

California

The St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program supported the San Diego PATH (Protecting Against HPV) by providing a state data profile for California as a resource during the state's HPV Vaccine Week, August 1-7. The SD PATH website includes the profile, which was linked in UCSD Health’s HPV vaccine week story.

The Community Outreach and Engagement team of Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health stated, “The work to eliminate HPV cancers in our lifetime depends on thoughtful, earnest collaboration across the continuum of health care. We have been delighted to find this collaborative spirit at the heart of the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program.”

Louisiana

In honor of National Immunization Awareness Month, Denise Linton, DNS, of the National Cervical Cancer Coalition, Louisiana (Lafayette) Chapter, held a Facebook Live event to increase HPV vaccination awareness among Louisianans. Linton emphasized vaccination recommendations by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The event included Path to a Bright Future materials and engaged 125 viewers.

Mississippi

The University of Mississippi, with a grant from the Mississippi Department of Health, developed the HPV-Free MS: Collegiate HPV Vaccine Education Toolkit. This is an education and awareness tool for colleges with mandatory freshmen experience classes and for upper-class students who have not started or completed their HPV vaccinations.

The toolkit comes with a QR code to download the program and provides a “how to” process for implementation. The release of the toolkit will begin in Fall 2022 with pilot schools across Mississippi colleges and universities.

We welcome Duha Magzoub as a program coordinator in the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program.

Since September 2021, Magzoub has supported and led several program activities as a graduate student assistant in the St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program. She helped develop the HPV cancer prevention data profiles. She organized the March 2022 virtual seminar, Mitigating the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on HPV Vaccination Coverage.

Magzoub completed a Master of Public Health in epidemiology at the University of Memphis in May 2022. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in public health from Rutgers University. Her previous experience includes community health promotion at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Jersey, AmeriCorps in Memphis, and service in the STD/HIV Surveillance division of the Shelby County Health Department. She hopes to contribute to the mission of increasing HPV vaccination rates through education, awareness, and evidence-based interventions.

September 22 marks the start of a new season. The St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program team shares what they imagine when they think of fall.

“I imagine the temperature being perfect—not too hot or not too cold. I also imagine all of the beautiful fall colors.” – Portia Knowlton, program coordinator

“I imagine cooler Memphis nights and dew mist morning walks on the river.” – Andrea Stubbs, administrative director

“I imagine cooler temps, falling leaves and traveling to see the scenic colors of trees before they become bare.” – Carol Minor, program coordinator

“I imagine sweaters and bonfires! I love the coziness of fall.” – Alison Footman, postdoctoral fellow

“The fall makes me think about football games, bon fires, hayrides, and all the warm feelings that come with fall” – Julia Neely, program coordinator

“I imagine colorful leaves covering grassy lawns as they fall from tall trees. Fall brings to mind the beginning of scarf and hat season.” – Brooke Morgan, program coordinator

“I imagine the trees changing color and the crisp fall air” – Duha Magzoub, program coordinator

“I imagine thinking about the NFL season and enjoying a hot cup of cocoa.”– Ursula Leflore, administrative specialist

“I imagine cooler temperatures and fewer mosquitos, if that is possible in Memphis.” – 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