The US can eradicate cervical cancer in two decades

The US can eradicate cervical cancer in two decades

Thanks to the development of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, cervical cancer is preventable. Different strains of HPV, a sexually transmitted infection, play an important role in cervical cancer. The U.S. can now eliminate cervical cancer within the next 20 years, according to a new study.

A team of researchers from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health has found that cervical cancer could be eradicated in the country if 90 percent of eligible women were screened.

Published in the magazineThe Lancet Public HealthThe study highlights a new modeling study that shows that screening women is the most effective way to speed eradication of the disease compared to current screening and HPV vaccinations.

The researchers also pointed out that while HPV vaccination is a factor in reducing cervical cancer cases in the long term, screening for immediate results is still one of the best ways to reduce the burden of cervical cancer in the country.

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Cervical cancer in numbers

Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable and treatable cancers, with 99 percent of cases linked to human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection, reports the World Health Organization (WHO).

With existing vaccinations against HPV and early detection through screening, the cancer is preventable and treatable. Cervical cancer used to be the leading cause of death among women in the United States, but cases have declined significantly over the past four decades thanks to early detection. The American Cancer Society estimates that about 13,800 new cases of cervical cancer will be diagnosed in the country this year and an estimated 4,290 will die.

Screening can detect precancerous changes on the cervix that, if left untreated, can lead to cancer. The CDC recommends that boys and girls get vaccinated against HPV between the ages of 11 and 12. Women are also encouraged to have a screening test called a PAP smear every three years when they are 21 to 29 years old.

It will take two decades

The study is the first to estimate a time frame for eliminating cervical cancer in the United States. To reach their findings, the team used two disease modeling platforms to compare nine different HPV vaccinations and cervical cancer screening treatments. The model, adapted for Japan, helped the team assess the expected number of cervical cancer cases and deaths over the lifetime of participants born between 1994 and 2007. From there, they assessed the possibility for each scenario to reach a threshold for eliminating four cases per 100,000 women and then one case per 100,000 women.

The team found that cervical cancer elimination can be achieved by 2038 to 2046. Increasing screening coverage to 90 percent in 2020 is the best way to accelerate the elimination of the disease. This means that between 2019 and 2100, 1,400 to 2,088 cases will not occur each year. Currently, about 14 percent of women are never examined.

On the contrary, achieving a 90 percent HPV vaccination rate among adults ages 26 to 45 has been found to have little impact on cervical cancer cases.

“In all three analyses, we were able to predict the enormous number of cervical cancer cases and deaths that could be averted globally by ensuring high uptake of cervical cancer prevention and treatment services,” Megan Smith, program manager at Cancer Council New South Wales Australia and co-author said.

“We hope that this analysis, along with the WHO Elimination Initiative, will advance public health efforts to increase access to primary and secondary prevention of cervical cancer in the United States,” added Jane Kim, professor of health decision science at Harvard Chan School and senior author.

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