Winship joins regional and national efforts to eliminate HPV-related cancers

Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University is supporting new regional and national initiatives to eliminate cancers caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), including cervical cancer. HPV vaccination is a safe, effective cancer prevention tool, yet vaccination rates in the Southeast remain below national goals.

Two major efforts were announced this month: a southeastern initiative, Call to Action: Elimination of HPV Cancers Starting with Cervical Cancer as a Public Health Concern, and nationally, a new consensus statement from 62 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Cancer Centers reinforces the importance of HPV vaccination to prevent cancer.

The HPV Vaccination Roundtable of the Southeast launched the first U.S. regional plan to eliminate HPV cancers, beginning with cervical cancer. The plan outlines coordinated strategies to improve HPV vaccination rates, reverse declines in cervical cancer screening, and expand access to follow-up care and treatment across the region.

HPV is a common virus known to cause several types of cancer, including some of the head and neck, gynecologic, and other genitourinary cancers. In the U.S., HPV causes an estimated 37,000 new cancer cases each year, including nearly 12,000 cervical cancers. In Georgia, an average of 444 new cervical cancer cases and 142 deaths occur annually.

“The release of this call to action by the HPV Vaccination Roundtable of the Southeast gives a new step forward to better use of the tools we have to reduce the burden of cancers caused by HPV,” says Robert A. Bednarczyk, PhD, researcher at Winship Cancer Institute’s Cancer Prevention and Control program.

Bednarczyk, who also serves as associate professor in the Hubert Department of Global Health at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, says that nearly all of these cancers can be prevented through vaccination and screening, and a new toolkit is already being applied by HPV Cancer Free Georgia, a statewide prevention group, to expand vaccination and screening efforts.

At the national level, Winship joined 61 other NCI-Designated Cancer Centers and seven leading organizations in endorsing a new consensus statement on HPV vaccination. The statement emphasizes that HPV vaccination is cancer prevention and calls for stronger uptake across the country, especially among adolescents ages 9–12.

Despite nearly two decades of safety data and clear evidence of effectiveness, HPV vaccination coverage in the U.S. remains below the national goal of 80%. Only 63% of adolescents ages 13–17 had completed the HPV vaccination series in 2024, according to the most recent federal survey. Rates are particularly low across the Southeast.

By uniting around a common message, NCI-Designated Cancer Centers aim to encourage parents and health care providers to prioritize HPV vaccination as a critical cancer prevention measure.

Bednarczyk remains involved in collaborative efforts to prevent HPV-related cancers. “I have been working with numerous groups focused on preventing HPV-related cancers, including HPV Cancer Free Georgia, the HPV Vaccination Roundtable of the Southeast, and the National HPV Vaccination Roundtable,” says Bednarczyk. “Having this opportunity to collaborate with researchers, healthcare practitioners, and community partners across the U.S. and locally keeps energizing me to work to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem.”

His work at Winship builds on the institute’s broader mission to advance cancer prevention and reduce cancer disparities in Georgia and beyond.

Bednarczyk notes that in 2020, the World Health Organization issued a global call to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem. With aligned efforts at the local, regional, national, and global levels, experts say that goal is within reach.

“HPV vaccination is cancer prevention,” Bednarczyk says. “By increasing vaccination and screening, we have the tools to dramatically reduce and ultimately eliminate HPV-related cancers.”