No one should die from cervical cancer. Here’s what we’re doing to fight it.

Cervical cancer is highly preventable and treatable when found early, but many people around the world don’t have access to the prevention and screening tools they need to stay ahead of cancer du col de l'utérus. In fact, according to the World Health Organization, nearly 94% of cervical cancer deaths in 2022 occurred in low- and middle-income countries, where there’s limited access to routine cervical cancer screenings and papillomavirus humain (HPV) vaccinations.

That’s why in 2018, the WHO set an ambitious goal to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem within the next century. Currently, countries around the world are focusing on specific, tangible goals tied to three pillars—vaccination, screening and treatment—to eliminate cervical cancer. Here’s a look at the importance of all three and what the Prevent Cancer Foundation is doing to support the WHO’s efforts.

Vaccination

Cervical cancer is most often caused by HPV, a virus that can cause at least six types of cancer and is the cause of more than 90% of cervical and anal cancers. The good news is that vaccination* can protect against HPV and ultimately, prevent cancer.

Vaccination contre le VPH protects against the types of HPV most likely to cause cancer, and it is most effective if done before a person is exposed to the virus. All young people ages 9–12 should get vaccinated against HPV. Vaccination is also recommended for teens and young adults up to age 26 if they were not fully vaccinated when younger. If the vaccine is given as recommended, it can prevent more than 90% of HPV-related cancers.

Rwanda is one country leading this charge by bolstering vaccination among young girls—they were the first African country to implement the HPV vaccine in 2011 and they currently have one of the highest HPV vaccination rates in the world. Rwanda’s Ministry of Health has played a large role in this success by working with village elders, community leaders, churches and schools to educate about the HPV vaccine and stop misinformation so more people get vaccinated.

Dépistage

Cervical cancer is highly preventable with routine screening. Screening can detect precancerous cells that can be removed before they become cancer. Routine screening is necessary even if you have been vaccinated against HPV.

If you have a cervix and are of average risk, get screened:

• 21 à 29 ans : faites un test Pap tous les 3 ans.

• 30 à 65 ans : disposez de l’une de ces options :

• Un test Pap seul tous les 3 ans.

• Un test HPV à haut risque tous les 5 ans.

• Un test HPV à haut risque avec un test Pap (co-test) tous les 5 ans.

• Après 65 ans, vous devriez discuter avec votre fournisseur de soins de santé pour savoir si vous devez poursuivre le dépistage.

With a cervical cancer screening program covered by the public health care system (reducing out-of-pocket payments for people who have a cervix), Finland has successfully reduced cervical cancer incidence rates and mortality by almost 80%. El Salvador and Bhutan are two other countries that have made significant strides in increasing cervical cancer screening.

Traitement

Timely and effective treatment can significantly improve survival rates and quality of life for people with cervical cancer. Treatment depends on the stage of the cancer, the type of tumor cells and the patient’s medical condition and may include surgery, radiation or chemotherapy. Access to these treatments, however, remains a significant challenge in areas of the world where health care infrastructure and resources are limited.

While treatment has seen limited progress globally compared to vaccination and screening, according to the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), El Salvador targets 70% screening coverage by 2030 and has enhanced treatment access, with over 100 facilities offering screenings and 75 providing pre-cancer treatments. Bhutan achieved a 90.8% screening rate for eligible women, with 92% of pre-cancer cases treated and all invasive cancers managed.

Prevent Cancer Foundation against cervical cancer 

The Prevent Cancer Foundation is proud to actively contribute to the global fight against cervical cancer. Through its programme de subventions mondiales, the Foundation provides funding for innovative cancer prevention and early detection projects in low- and middle-income countries. The Foundation is currently funding two global grantees that are playing a pivotal role in meeting the WHO’s targets to eliminate cervical cancer:

• Santé de base internationale serves Mexico, where cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer mortality among women. They have developed and are implementing a training curriculum for low-cost, self-collected HPV sampling and will provide treatment for those at high risk in an under-screened population.
• Services de santé de la Convention baptiste du Cameroun is screening women and vaccinating children in three urban, medically underserved neighborhoods in Cameroon. Their program vaccinates both girls et boys against HPV, with the goal of preventing more HPV-related cancers. If successful, the mother-child model has the potential to be replicated in other countries where HPV vaccination hesitancy and misinformation are major concerns.

In the U.S., the Foundation is proud to fund community grantees from coast to coast working to increase cervical cancer vaccination, screening and treatment. The Foundation also educates about the importance of routine cancer screening—including cervical cancer—through its effort, Détection précoce = meilleurs résultats. The initiative has resources including a personal screening quiz, a cancer screening chart, a webinar, resources to find free and low-cost screenings and more.

What’s next

If targets for the three pillars—screening, vaccination and treatment—are met by 2030, the WHO says there will be far fewer people developing and dying from cervical cancer. Their mathematical model shows the median cervical cancer incidence rate could fall by 42% by 2045, and by 97% by 2120, stopping more than 74 million new cases of cervical cancer by 2120.

The goals are ambitious, but they are also achievable. We are proud to stand with the WHO and communities everywhere, working together to increase HPV vaccination rates, improve access to screening and treatment, and raise awareness about cervical cancer prevention.

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. To learn more about cervical cancer, visit prévenirlecancer.org/cervical. To learn more about our global efforts to support the elimination of cervical cancer as well as other cancer prevention and early detection efforts, visit preventcancer.org/global.

*Although the WHO’s cervical cancer elimination goals reference girls getting vaccinated against HPV, vaccination recommendations apply to all young people regardless of whether or not they have a cervix. The HPV vaccine also protects against penile cancer, as well as cancers that can affect people regardless of their sex, including anal cancer and oropharyngeal cancer (cancer of the back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils).