CPRIT grant to support HPV vaccination of childhood cancer survivors
Mays Cancer Center Annual Report
The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) provided a $1 million grant to The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio to expand a vaccination program for human papillomavirus (HPV) among childhood cancer survivors.
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection and can also cause cancer. However, vaccination rates for HPV are lower in Texas than the national average, which is most concerning in areas where HPV-related cancers disproportionately affect the state’s Hispanic population.
With the $1 million CPRIT grant, UT Health San Antonio aims to expand to 10 partner pediatric oncology centers across the state over three years to increase vaccination rates among more than 3,000 eligible childhood cancer survivors in 225 counties.
“Despite the increased vulnerability of childhood cancer survivors to secondary HPV-related cancers, this population has largely been neglected in the research, education and largescale HPV vaccine initiatives,” said Allison Grimes, MD, MSCI, associate professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and director of the adolescent and young adult program at UT Health San Antonio, and co-director of the project along with L. Aubree Shay, PhD, MSSW, UTHealth Houston School of Public Health.
At the start of the previous CPRIT-funded project from 2018 to 2023, only 23% of age-eligible childhood cancer survivors had started the HPV vaccination series, and just 8% had completed it. That means 11 of every 12 survivors were unprotected from HPV-related cancers. However, the project’s efforts led to a 485% increase in completed HPV vaccinations.
The new project will include the five continuing project sites, including Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, as well as five expansion sites. The overall goal is to increase HPV vaccination rates among eligible childhood cancer survivors who are actively followed within each of the 10 participating sites.
The effort aims to deliver a provider and staff HPV continuing education program focused on the unique risks and needs of childhood cancer survivors; implement practice changes for an HPV vaccine-friendly culture and monitoring of HPV vaccine eligibility; and offer on-site delivery of the HPV vaccine to eligible survivors.
At all participating sites, the continuing education program is expected to reach approximately 250 oncology providers and staff to increase HPV vaccine recommendation practices. The effort will target just more than 3,000 childhood cancer survivors ages 9 to 45 who are at least six months off active treatment to increase both initiation and completion of HPV vaccinations.
“Targeting this population within the oncology follow-up setting,” Grimes said, “is both novel and risk-directed.”
