Study reveals some vaccine-related concerns that should be addressed by healthcare providers.
Although young cancer survivors are at high risk of later developing cancer of the cervix, oropharynx, and several other human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers, HPV vaccination rates in this group remain weak. This is mainly due to some vaccine concerns, according to a study published by Wiley online in CANCERa peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.
To understand why young cancer survivors often opt for HPV vaccination; which is very effective in preventing infection with the types of HPV most commonly associated with cancer; Brooke Cherven, PhD, MPH, RN, CPON, researcher at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University and the Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University, and assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine , and colleagues analyzed data from an open-label clinical trial of the HPV vaccine in cancer survivors aged 9 to 26 and 1 to 5 years following their cancer treatment ended. Survivors (or their parents) who refused to participate in the trial were asked the reasons for their refusal.
Of the 301 survivors who declined to participate in the clinical trial, 215 (71.4%) did so for reasons related to the HPV vaccine. Some of these reasons were similar to those reported in the general population, including concerns regarding vaccine safety (such as “hearing bad things regarding the vaccine”), importance (such as viewing the vaccine as “unnecessary”) and when (such as parents preferring to wait to vaccinate until their child is older). Some survivors also expressed issues specific to cancer survivorship, including concerns regarding health issues related to their previous cancer treatment, worries that they had already “seen so much” and wanted to avoid other medical interventions, and advice from a health care provider to delay or refuse the vaccine “because of all the treatments he has received.”
The results of this study might help health care providers, both oncologists and primary care clinicians, address many of the concerns of patients and their families regarding HPV vaccination.
The HPV vaccine is an important tool for cancer prevention, especially for the vulnerable population of cancer survivors. By incorporating messages that address common concerns, healthcare providers can feel more prepared and confident when recommending the HPV vaccine to survivors in their practice. »
Dr. Brooke Cherven, PhD, MPH, RN, CPON, Researcher, Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University
