The HPV vaccine is leading to such dramatic reductions in cervical cancer that those who receive it may only need one smear test in their lives, according to a leading cancer prevention scientist.

The academic director of King’s Clinical Trials Unit Professor Peter Sasieni said that the screening programme – which currently needs to be performed every three to five years – could soon change due to the encouraging results from the new HPV vaccine.

He told BBC Radio 4: “This is really exciting…. (The HPV vaccine) protects against even more types of the virus, and I think with that probably one screen would be enough, maybe two, over a lifetime.”

In the meantime, Cancer Research UK is still urging people to come forward for screening.

According to the BBC, nearly all cases of cervical cancer are caused by human papillomaviruses – known as HPV – and there are more than 100 types.

As the virus is spread by close skin-to-skin contact, the vaccine is ideally given before a person becomes sexually active.