Study finds one shot of HPV vaccine just as effective as two; cervical cancer screening guidelines updated

A study published Dec. 3 by the New England Journal of Medicine found that one dose of the HPV vaccine could be as effective as two in preventing cervical cancer. The study, led by the National Cancer Institute, consisted of a randomized trial of 20,320 girls ages 12-16. In addition, the American Cancer Society Dec. 4 announced updated guidelines for cervical cancer screening, saying that self-collection of vaginal samples for HPV testing is now optional, although clinician-collected samples are preferred.