HPV prophylactic vaccines: lessons learned from 10 years experience

When HPV vaccines were registered in 2006/2007, it was unclear whether these new and type-specific prophylactic vaccines would be accepted by the community for cancer prevention. With an optimal vaccination age of early adolescence, three vaccine doses required, HPV a sexually transmitted infection, and secondary prevention already available in the form of cervical screening, considerable potential challenges were faced. At the time of licensing, vaccine efficacy in males and duration of immunity were not yet unknown. Almost a decade later, with over 230 million doses of the vaccines distributed worldwide and national HPV vaccination programs in place in many countries, it is timely to reflect on current knowledge about the vaccines and some of the lessons learned during implementation.