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Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf of the organization they represent.
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1. Study suggests far fewer cervical cancer screenings are needed for HPV‑vaccinated women
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-25-03192
Editorial: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-25-05559
Summary for Patients: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-25-03192-PS
URL goes live when the embargo lifts
In a modeling study of women vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV), researchers found that cervical cancer screening could be done far less often than current recommendations without compromising health benefits. For women vaccinated at younger ages, screening just two or three times over a lifetime was both cost‑effective and associated with fewer unnecessary follow‑up procedures, suggesting that existing screening guidelines may be overly intensive for this growing population. The study is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Researchers from the University of Oslo, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the National Cancer Institute used individual‑based computer modeling and published data to evaluate different cervical cancer screening strategies for women in Norway who received HPV vaccines between the ages of 12 and 30. The model-based analysis compared varying ages to start screening, screening intervals, and total lifetime tests, while accounting for health care costs and patient time. Across all vaccination ages and vaccine types, less frequent screening was consistently preferred. For women who received the vaccine by age 30, a far less intensive screening program would be more cost-effective and cause less harm than the current recommendation of screening every five years. For women vaccinated before age 25, preferred strategies involved screening every 15 to 25 years, resulting in screening 2 to 3 times over a lifetime. These findings held true even when researchers accounted for missed screenings or reduced vaccine protection. The study concludes that cervical cancer screening programs could be tailored based on a woman’s age at HPV vaccination, improving value while reducing harm.
Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Gabby Macrina at gmacrina@acponline.org. To contact corresponding author Kine Pedersen, PhD please email Thea Cecilie Engelsen at t.c.engelsen@medisin.uio.no.
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2. Danish pediatrician warns Denmark’s childhood vaccine schedule is not one the U.S. can copy
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-26-00249
URL goes live when the embargo lifts
In an Ideas and Opinions piece published in Annals of Internal Medicine, Danish pediatrician Lone Graff Stensballe DMSc, PhD reflects on a recent proposal to change the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule to mirror the more conservative childhood vaccine schedule of Denmark, focusing on a smaller set of universally recommended vaccines. Dr. Stensballe warns that the U.S. should not replicate Denmark’s strategy due to major social and health disparities between the two countries. Denmark’s high equity and substantial taxpayer-funded investment in childcare, housing, education, and universal healthcare allows Denmark to maintain a limited vaccine schedule while also maintaining high uptake and low infection risk. Factors that increase both infection risk and low vaccine uptake, including prematurity, chronic illness, low income, low health literacy, and limited access to care, are far more prevalent in the U.S. Reducing the vaccination schedule may unintentionally increase confusion, deepen mistrust in healthcare institutions, and ultimately lower vaccination rates even more in the U.S., disproportionately affect disadvantaged children the most.
Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Gabby Macrina at gmacrina@acponline.org. To contact corresponding author Lone Graff Stensballe DMSc, PhD please email Lisa Ioannou at Lisa.Ryge.Ioannou@regionh.dk.
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3. Psychotherapy emerges as top treatment for grief, review finds
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-24-03679
Editorial: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-25-05352
URL goes live when the embargo lifts
A systematic review found that psychotherapy is an effective intervention for easing grief and depression after the death of a loved one, with other approaches, such as expert-facilitated support groups and increased contact with health care providers, showing some benefits as well. Evidence for children and many other interventions, such as art therapy or medication, was scarce or inconclusive. The review is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Researchers from the Southern California Evidence Review Center at the University of Southern California (USC) and RAND Health analyzed 169 randomized controlled trials to determine which interventions help people cope with bereavement. The trials evaluated approaches ranging from psychotherapy to self-help interventions. The analysis showed moderate evidence that individual psychotherapy improves symptoms of grief, grief disorder, and depression in adults. Expert-facilitated support groups and enhanced provider contact may offer some benefit, but evidence for many other approaches and important outcomes such as loneliness and adverse health behaviors was insufficient. Evidence for children and culturally specific interventions was scarce, highlighting the need for further research.
In an accompanying editorial, authors argue that many of the essential elements of the care of bereaved persons remain understudied and underutilized. They note that bereavement care must not be reduced to symptom alleviation alone, nor to pharmacologic intervention, and argue about the importance of physicians seeing themselves as companions in addition to clinicians when helping their patients through grief.
Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Gabby Macrina at gmacrina@acponline.org. To contact corresponding author Susanne Hempel, PhD, please email Sheila Rodriguez at Sheila.Rodriguez2@med.usc.edu or Laura LeBlanc at Laura.LeBlanc@med.usc.edu.
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4. Both high and low maternal hemoglobin levels raise newborn health risks
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-25-02586
URL goes live when the embargo lifts
A population-based study of over 1.1 million births in Ontario, CA found that both low and high maternal hemoglobin levels early in pregnancy are linked to higher rates of neonatal illness and death compared to those with mid-range levels. The results are consistent with prior studies showing a relation between both low and high maternal hemoglobin concentrations and adverse neonatal outcomes. The study is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Researchers from the University of Toronto and colleagues set out to understand how early pregnancy hemoglobin levels affect newborn health in high-income countries. They analyzed hemoglobin measurements taken between 2 and 12 weeks of gestation for 1.1 million births from women aged 18 to 50 from 2007 to 2023. They examined the association between hemoglobin concentration and severe neonatal morbidity and mortality (SNM-M), a composite measure of major conditions and critical interventions within 27 days of birth. The study found that babies born to mothers with very low or very high hemoglobin were more likely to experience serious health problems, suggesting that both anemia and excess red blood cells can be harmful. The authors recommend further trials to assess whether iron therapy can improve outcomes.
Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Gabby Macrina at gmacrina@acponline.org. To contact corresponding authors Ieta Shams, MD and Michelle Sholzberg, MD, MSc please email Christine Davidson at christine.davidson@unityhealth.to.
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END
Study suggests far fewer cervical cancer screenings are needed for HPV‑vaccinated women
2026-02-02
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