Background: In Greece the population-level impact of HPV vaccination is unknown due to lacking official registries. This study presents in a pragmatic frame the comparison of cervical pathology data between HPV-vaccinated and unvaccinated women referred for colposcopy.
Materials and Methods: This is an observational prospective cohort study performed in 7 academic Obstetrics & Gynaecology departments across Greece between 2009-2019. Cases were women that had completed HPV vaccination before coitarche and were referred for colposcopy due to abnormal cytology. For each vaccinated woman an unvaccinated matched control was selected.
Results: A total of 849 women who had been vaccinated before coitarche and 849 unvaccinated controls were recruited. The combination of cytological, colposcopic and molecular findings necessitated treatment in only a single case among vaccinated (0.1%) and in 8.4% among unvaccinated.
Conclusion: Despite potential bias, this study’s message is clear: HPV vaccination at a proper age can markedly reduce development of severe cervical precancer and consequently, the need for treatments with their long-term related obstetrical morbidity.