The role and utility of population-based cancer registries in cervical cancer surveillance and control

Abstract

Population–based cancer registries (PBCR) are vital to the assessment of the cancer burden and in monitoring and evaluating national progress in cervical cancer surveillance and control. Yet the level of their development in countries exhibiting the highest cervical cancer incidence rates is suboptimal, and requires considerable investment if they are to document the impact of WHO global initiative to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem. As a starting point we propose a comprehensive cancer surveillance framework, positioning PBCR in relation to other health information systems that are required across the cancer control continuum. The key concepts of PBCR are revisited and their role in providing a situation analysis of the scale and profile of the cancer-specific incidence and survival, and their evolution over time is illustrated with specific examples. Linking cervical cancer data to screening and immunization information systems enables the development of a comprehensive set of measures capable of assessing the short- and long-term achievements and impact of the initiative. Such data form the basis of national and global estimates of the cancer burden and permit comparisons across countries, facilitating decision-making or triggering cancer control action. The initiation and sustainable development of PBCR must be an early step in the scale-up of cervical cancer control activities as a means to ensure progress is successfully monitored and appraised.

Program Planning to Develop Infrastructure for Cancer Care in Liberia

“…22 , 23 The importance of population-based cancer registry in cervical cancer elimination and ensuring surveillance and monitoring of all cancers by region cannot be overstated. 24 Given the country's lack of resources, Liberia's programs will lean heavily on awareness and prevention as it builds screening, diagnostic, and treatment capacities.…”

A Review of the Implementation Status of and National Plans on HPV Vaccination in 17 Middle-Income Countries of the WHO Western Pacific Region

“…Because the primary objective of HPV vaccination is to reduce cervical cancer cases, it is essential that countries monitor its incidence trend alongside vaccination coverage. To monitor incidence, a functional national or regional population-based cancer registry (PBCR) is needed [97]. However, nine of the 17 MICs (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Kiribati, Tonga, and Tuvalu) currently do not have one in place [4].…”

“…For countries without PBCR, GLOBOCAN estimates were calculated using data from neighboring countries [4]; for example, for Cambodia and Lao PDR, the incidence rates were calculated using data from Thailand and Vietnam. While these estimates are valuable for understanding the disease burden and setting priorities at the national level, they cannot be used to track changes over time or measure the impact of interventions [4,97]. While the current non-availability of a PBCR should not be a reason to delay the introduction of HPV vaccination, it is an indispensable part of cervical cancer control.…”

Exome Sequencing reveals characteristic KMT2C mutations in the Indian Phenotype of Cervical Cancer

“…GLOBOCAN 2020 studies suggest that India and China contribute more than a third of CC cases. In India the incidence rates are 96,922 (17%) and death rates are 60,078(19.3%) per year [2,3]. While CC is a major health problem in young women and middleaged in developing and underdeveloped countries, over the past few years, there is a decline in age standardised mortality in developed countries like the US, Europe, and the UK due to the increased awareness in screening CC diagnosis, and HPV vaccination [1,4,5].…”