Two vaccines help prevent cancer: the HPV vaccine guards against several kinds, and the hepatitis B vaccine helps prevent liver cancer.
HPV vaccine
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common sexually transmitted infection, and some types cause cancer. The HPV vaccine protects against the types that most often do.
| Age | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| 11–12 | recommended for preteens — and it can start as early as 9 |
| Through 26 | recommended for everyone not already vaccinated |
| Over 26 | not recommended for everyone — but some unvaccinated adults aged 27 through 45 may choose it after talking with their doctor about their risk of new infections. It offers less benefit at these ages, since people are more likely to have been exposed already |
The vaccine prevents new infections; it doesn't treat existing infections or disease. That's why it works best before any exposure to HPV.
It doesn't replace routine cervical cancer screening — Pap and HPV tests — on the recommended schedule.
Pediatrician Dr. Jennifer Shu explains why she recommends the vaccine in a CDC video.
Dr. Jennifer Shu on why she recommends the HPV vaccine. CDC.
Hepatitis B vaccine
Hepatitis B is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). It can be a mild illness lasting a few weeks (acute) or a serious long-term (chronic) illness that can lead to liver disease or liver cancer.
- The hepatitis B vaccine is available for all ages.
- CDC recommends hepatitis B testing for every adult at least once; some people need testing more often.
Sources
Based on "Vaccines (Shots)," Cancer Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain. The video, missing when the page was imported, is restored from the Internet Archive's copies of CDC's files (2026-09-27).
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.cdc.gov
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