Preface
The President's Cancer Panel (the Panel), established by the National Cancer Act of 1971 (P.L. 92-218), is charged with monitoring progress of the National Cancer Program and identifying barriers to its fullest and most rapid implementation. The Panel investigates topics of high importance to the National Cancer Program and presents findings and recommendations in reports to the President of the United States.
In 2012-2013, the Panel held a series of meetings on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. At that time, the Panel concluded that underuse of HPV vaccines was a serious but correctable threat to progress against cancer and identified several goals and objectives to increase HPV vaccine uptake in the United States and globally. Many stakeholders have worked resolutely to make progress toward these goals and to achieve the ultimate goal of preventing HPV cancers. The 2012-2013 Panel report is frequently cited as a seminal resource on HPV vaccination. In response to several stakeholders who have expressed interest in the Panel revisiting this topic, the Panel Chair has assessed the current landscape of HPV cancers and vaccination through consultations with experts about the state of the field, selective review of the literature, and additional research. In this report, the Panel Chair provides an overview of progress made over the past five years and presents priorities and strategies to speed progress toward goals identified in the 2012-2013 report.
While Panel reports are submitted to the President, they also are intended for use by a larger group of stakeholders, public and private, that comprise the National Cancer Program. As the Panel is advisory, implementation of Panel recommendations depends on actions of these stakeholders. Over the past five years, numerous organizations and agencies—including, but not limited to, the National Cancer Institute (NCI); NCI-designated cancer centers; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; American Cancer Society; National HPV Vaccination Roundtable; American Academy of Pediatrics; American Academy of Family Physicians; World Health Organization; and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance—have devoted substantial resources and voiced strong support for HPV vaccination. Progress to date is a testament to the dedicated efforts, strategic focus, and persistence of these organizations and their partners throughout the United States and globally. The United States and its global partners must seize the opportunity to build on this momentum to eliminate both the barriers to HPV vaccine uptake and the unnecessary burden of preventable HPV cancers.
