一位顶尖科学家表示，接种  HPV 疫苗的女性可能一生只需做一次刮片检查，就可以帮助预防宫颈癌。目前在英国，适龄女性每三到五年会被邀请进行一次筛查。

 

Nearly all cases of cervical cancer are caused by human papillomaviruses, known as HPV.

几乎所有宫颈癌病例都是由人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）引起的。

 

A seismic¹ shift in preventing the disease started in 2008 with the introduction of the HPV vaccine². Cervical cancers have fallen by nearly 90% in those immunised.

2008年，随着 HPV 疫苗（在英国）的引入，该疾病的预防发生了重大转变。在因接种疫苗而对病毒产生免疫的人群中，宫颈癌的发病率下降了近 90%。

 

Peter Sasieni, a professor of cancer prevention at King's College London, says the screening programme needs to adapt soon.

英国伦敦国王学院的癌症预防教授彼得·萨西尼表示，宫颈癌检查项目需要尽快作出调整。

 

He told Inside Health on Radio 4 that current vaccines³ meant screening at ages 30, 40 and 55 could be appropriate, and that more effective vaccines being introduced this year could mean only one test a lifetime.

他在 BBC 广播四台的 “Inside Health” 节目上说，目前的疫苗意味着在30岁、40岁和45岁时进行检查即可，而今年推出的更有效的疫苗可能意味着一生只需检查一次。

 

No decisions have yet been made about the future of screening, and there is still a question of how long protection lasts or if a midlife booster is needed, and regular screening will be needed for decades, due to the generations that have not been immunised.

关于未来宫颈癌检查计划的走向，目前尚未有定论，而且疫苗的保护效果会持续多久，到中年后是否需要打加强针，这些仍是问题。另外，由于几代人都没有对 HPV 的免疫，所以在几十年间需要定期做检查。

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