COIOS
Healthcare today Item confirms preprint

Vaccinated Spanish women show less HPV 16/18 and fewer high-grade cervical lesions

Among 908 women in Spanish cervical screening, HPV 16/18 was detected in 0.76% of vaccinated versus 5.5% of unvaccinated women, and high-grade cytological lesions in 0.38% versus 2.4%.

A cross-sectional study recruited 908 women attending population-based cervical screening in three Spanish regions between April 2024 and January 2026, 58% of them HPV-vaccinated, and compared genotype detection and cytology by vaccination status. HPV 16/18 was found in 0.76% of vaccinated women against 5.5% of unvaccinated (adjusted OR 4.9, 95% CI 1.4–17), and HPV31 in 1.3% against 3.4%. High-grade lesions were present in 0.38% of vaccinated and 2.4% of unvaccinated women (p=0.011).

Why it is interesting: Adds Spanish screening-population evidence on vaccine-type reduction and cross-protection against HPV31, from a country with little published impact data.

Source
medRxiv, 2026-09-14
DOI
10.64898/2026.09.10.26362440
Type
Preprint
Design
Cross-sectional study of 908 women in population-based cervical screening in three Spanish regions, April 2024–January 2026
Verdict
Confirms prior evidence
Driver
Cancer