A single dose of the HPV vaccine could be enough to protect against infections which cause 70per cent of cervical cancers, new research suggests.
Doctors found just one lot of the bivalent human papillomavirus vaccine may offer a similar level of protection as the two or three doses normally given.
Girls aged 12 to 13 are offered HPV vaccination on the NHS to protect against cervical cancer, the UK's most common cancer in women under the age of 35.
Experts said the findings could be a "game changer" in how women are vaccinated against infections which cause the disease.
Researchers in America analysed data from two trials involving more than 7,400 healthy women aged 18 to 25 years old and more than 18,600 healthy women aged 15 to 25 years from around the world.
They found "high vaccine efficacy" against HPV-16/18 infections regardless of the number of doses the women received, according to a study published in the Lancet Oncology.
The same result was also seen in women with no sign of HPV infection before or at the time of their first vaccination, suggesting the findings were relevant to "sexually-naive girls" in the recommended age range for HPV vaccination, the report added.
Co-lead author Dr Aimee Kreimer, from the National Cancer Institute, said: "Our findings question the number of HPV vaccine doses truly needed to protect the majority of women against cervical cancer, and suggest that a one-dose schedule should be further evaluated.
"If one dose is sufficient, it could reduce vaccination and administration costs as well as improve uptake."
In the UK, 2,900 women a year are diagnosed with cervical cancer - around eight women every day, NHS Choices said.
Professor Margaret Stanley, from the Department of Pathology at University of Cambridge, said the findings "could be the game changer."
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