Missed Opportunities for HPV Vaccination Among Vaccine-Eligible Women with High Grade Cervical Lesions

Abstract

BackgroundIncidence of high-grade cervical lesions (HGCL) has declined in the U.S following the introduction of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in 2006. However, many women continue to be diagnosed with HGCLs, including those eligible to receive the vaccine but did not. We determined self-reported barriers to and correlates of HPV vaccination in vaccine-eligible women diagnosed with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grades 2, 2/3, 3 and adenocarcinoma in situ (CIN2+). MethodsData from a statewide surveillance system in Connecticut for CIN 2+ during 2008–2015 were used for this analysis. Enhanced surveillance data were collected for women residing in New Haven County, including HPV vaccine history and demographic factors, through chart review and patient interviews. Women who reported being unvaccinated were asked why they did not receive the vaccine. We evaluated trends in reasons for not receiving the vaccine using a two-sided Cochran Armitage trend test. Log-binomial analysis was used to assess associations between sociodemographic characteristics and vaccination status. ResultsBetween 2008 and 2015, 1625 vaccine-eligible women were diagnosed with CIN2+, with 882 of these women reporting never receiving the HPV vaccine. The proportion of unvaccinated vaccine-eligible women did not significantly change from 2008 to 2015 (p = 0.18, range 49.1% to 60.0%). The most commonly reported reason for being unvaccinated was age/too old, followed by previous HPV diagnosis and no provider recommendation. Women who had public or no insurance were significantly more likely than privately insured women to report being unvaccinated (p = <0.001, p = 0.0034). ConclusionsCommonly cited barriers to vaccination, such as age/too old and previous HPV diagnosis, are not contraindications for vaccination. Furthermore, frequent reporting of no provider recommendation underscores the important role providers play in the immunization of their patients. These results indicate the need for greater efforts by providers to dispel myths about HPV vaccine eligibility and to promote vaccination for all of their eligible patients.