Point of View: COVID-19 as a catalyst for reimagining cervical cancer prevention

  1. Rebecca Luckett  Is a corresponding author
  2. Sarah Feldman
  3. Yin Ling Woo
  4. Anna-Barbara Moscicki
  5. Anna R Giuliano
  6. Silvia de Sanjosé
  7. Andreas M Kaufmann
  8. Shuk On Annie Leung
  9. Francisco Garcia
  10. Karen Chan
  11. Neerja Bhatla
  12. Margaret Stanley
  13. Julia Brotherton
  14. Joel Palefsky
  15. Suzanne Garland
  16. on behalf of the International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS) Policy Committee
  1. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, United States
  2. Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, United States
  3. University of Malaya, Malaysia
  4. University of California, Los Angeles, United States
  5. H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, United States
  6. National Cancer Institute, United States
  7. ISGlobal, Spain
  8. Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
  9. Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
  10. Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Germany
  11. McGill University Health Centre, Canada
  12. Pima County, United States
  13. University of Hong Kong, China
  14. All India Institute of Medical Sciences, India
  15. University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
  16. Australian Centre for the Prevention of Cervical Cancer, Australia
  17. University of California, San Francisco, United States
  18. Melbourne Medical School, Royal Women’s Hospital, Australia
3 figures and 1 additional file

Figures

Map showing ever-in-lifetime cervical cancer screening coverage in women aged 30–49 years in 2019 by country.

This map demonstrates that only 75 of the 202 countries surveyed in this study had achieved screening coverage of 70% or higher. Most countries in Africa and South Asia have lifetime screening coverage less than 20%. From Bruni et al., 2022. Lancet Global Health 10:e1115–1127. (CC BY 4.0).

Map showing the age-standardised incidence of cervical cancer by country, estimated for 2018.

The countries with the highest incidence of cervical cancer (in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, south Asia and South America) largely correspond to the countries with low screening coverage. From Arbyn et al., 2020. Lancet Global Health 8:e191–e203. (CC BY 4.0).

Map showing the self-sampling approach in countries that officially recommend HPV-based screening.

As of October 2020, few countries had introduced HPV primary screening, and most were concentrated in high-income countries. Only 17 countries had introduced HPV self-sampling into their national programs or guidelines and of those, half reserved the use of self-sampling for under-screened populations only. From Serrano et al., 2022. Preventive Medicine 154:106900. (CC BY 4.0).

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  1. Rebecca Luckett
  2. Sarah Feldman
  3. Yin Ling Woo
  4. Anna-Barbara Moscicki
  5. Anna R Giuliano
  6. Silvia de Sanjosé
  7. Andreas M Kaufmann
  8. Shuk On Annie Leung
  9. Francisco Garcia
  10. Karen Chan
  11. Neerja Bhatla
  12. Margaret Stanley
  13. Julia Brotherton
  14. Joel Palefsky
  15. Suzanne Garland
  16. on behalf of the International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS) Policy Committee
(2023)
Point of View: COVID-19 as a catalyst for reimagining cervical cancer prevention
eLife 12:e86266.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.86266