If prophylactic HPV vaccination is considered in a woman with CIN2+, what is the value and should it be given before or after the surgical treatment?

Since the introduction of human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination, the number of precancerous lesions has decreased in countries with a high HPV vaccination coverage. Currently women who present with a precancerous cervical lesions (CIN2 + ), are often not vaccinated or not vaccinated with the latest vaccine. Although resection of the precancerous lesion is the standard approach, the guidelines regarding vaccination are not clear. Vaccination will be valuable in reducing the risk of recurrence. Therefore, it is beneficial to understand the importance of vaccination or revaccination with the nonavalent vaccine in these cases. Furthermore, the timing of vaccination, either before or after surgery, should be determined. To answer these questions, twelve studies regarding vaccination and conization were reviewed. The inconsistency of study designs and inclusion criteria between the different studies introduced a considerable risk of bias. Nevertheless, the analysis showed that 43 women needed to be vaccinated and treated for CIN2 + lesions to prevent a recurrence. The ideal timing could not be established, but theoretically vaccination before the start of treatment was most logic. Although the data is not level 1 evidence, these recommendations should be used during counseling in the clinical setting until results of ongoing randomized controlled trials become available. (C) 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V.