New research suggests that only one dose, instead of the recommended three, is needed of a vaccine to avoid cervical cancer, the New York Daily News reported.
According to a report in the journal Cancer Prevention Research, one dose may be enough to promote antibodies in the blood against strong strains of HPV.
The research could lead to simpler logistics and lower costs, increasing the number of young people who receive the vaccine. Research from 2012 revealed that just one-third of U.S. female teens and fewer than 7 percent of U.S. male teens get the recommended three doses of the vaccine, which is recommended before sexual activity.
"Our findings suggest promise for simplified vaccine administration schedules that might be cheaper, simpler, and more likely to be implemented around the world," said Mahboobeh Safaeian, an investigator in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the National Cancer Institute in Maryland.
The Cancer Prevention Research report centered on a study of around 7,500 women aged 18-25 in Costa Rica.
About 20 percent of the women did not receive the recommended three doses. When researchers analyzed blood from a group of about 80 participants who only got one dose, the smaller group had the same antibodies as the groups that received two or three doses.
The antibodies, which protect against virulent strains of HPV, persisted in the participants' blood for up to four years. They also seemed to be stable over time.
In the study, researchers used Cervarix, a vaccine from the British healthcare company GlaxoSmithKline.
"GSK is continuing to review findings from this trial and is committed to ensuring regulatory authorities and public health officials have access to this information," a company spokesman told AFP.
The findings could be especially significant for third world countries, Safaeian said.
"Vaccination with two doses, or even one dose, could simplify the logistics and reduce the cost of vaccination, which could be especially important in the developing world, where more than 85 percent of cervical cancers occur, and where cervical cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer-related deaths," she said.
HPV can cause oral, anal and cervical cancer, the last being the second most common form of cancer for women worldwide with 250,000 deaths every year.
See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?
