Though there have been advances in screening and vaccines that help prevent it, cervical cancer is still common in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, there will be an estimated 13,360 new cases in the U.S. this year, along with 4,320 deaths. However, a recent trial provides hope that another vaccine may be able to eliminate precancerous lesions.

The Vvax001 vaccine, the subject of a phase II trial, is being tested as a method to treat HPV16-positive cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3, or CIN3. This will progress to cancer in about a third of patients within 10 years if left untreated. HPV16 is also the most common type of HPV that causes precancerous cervical lesions. The goal of this trial is to provide another treatment option than what’s currently available, which involves using a heated loop of thin wire to remove precancerous cells.

Dr. Refika Yigit, principal investigator and oncological gynecologist at University Medical Centre Groningen in the Netherlands, explains, “The main purpose of our trial was to investigate whether our therapeutic vaccine—Vvax001— could offer a potential alternative treatment to the standard-of-care loop excision, which is frequently associated with complications.”

To conduct their trial, the findings of which were published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, 18 patients with HPV16-positive CIN3 were given three immunizations, three weeks apart. Nineteen weeks later, the status of their CIN3 was tested via a colposcopy-guided biopsy. 

Among these 18 participants, the trial results showed that there was a reduction in lesion size in 17 of them. Additionally, nine regressed to low-grade dysplasia or had no signs of dysplasia, while 10 experienced HPV16 clearance. After a median follow-up period of 20 months, there were also no recurrences. 

Dr. Yigit says, “To the best of our knowledge, this response rate makes Vvax001 one of the most effective therapeutic vaccines for HPV16-associated CIN3 lesions reported to date. If confirmed in a larger trial, our results could mean that at least half of the patients with CIN3 might be able to omit surgery and avoid all its possible side effects and complications.” 

The researchers did note some limitations, though, including limited follow-up time, a small sample size, and a lack of a control group for spontaneous regression. You can read more of their findings here.