Cervical cancer kills 300,000 people a year — here’s how to speed up its elimination

Abstract

Cervical cancer can be prevented through vaccination and be cured if diagnosed early. Yet it still kills more than 300,000 people worldwide each year. Globally, only around 21% of women have had a vaccine against the human papillomaviruses (HPVs) that cause the disease.That number needs to rise to 90% by 2030, if cervical cancer is to be eliminated in the next century -as the World Health Organization (WHO) plans. Screening and treatment should also become routine worldwide, with 70% of people with a cervix checked by the age of 35 and again at 45, and 90% of those with signs of cervical cancer treated.The world is not on track to meet any of these targets. A step change is urgently needed. The tools to vaccinate, screen and treat people are available, and effective. But a lack of funding, staffing and infrastructure -coupled with vaccine hesitancy -are major obstacles. Here, four specialists highlight pockets of good practice that can help to buck the trend.