by Christine Riney, AWC Hamburg, AWC London & FAWCO Health Co-Chair
In November 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) brought about the first-ever global commitment to eliminate a cancer: cervical cancer. You can read the full details in this article.
The thought that we can be free of cervical cancer in the foreseeable future is astounding. This gives me pause to think about what other cancers and diseases could be eradicated if we put our considerable minds together. It also concerning when when think of what has been lost in relation to time and sadly, people, due to COVID-19. Let’s not lose anymore.
To further push the mission to Eliminate Cervical Cancer, this year's World Cancer Day, February 4th, 2021, is spotlighting what needs to be done to ensure that we reach this remarkable achievement. The aim is to inform and educate individuals, groups, and governments to take action to ensure the realization of a cervical cancer-free future.
A disease that now stands as one of the world's
greatest public health failures can be eliminated.
– World Health Organization
The strategy for elimination is multi-pronged. No one element stands alone; all must be pursued to meet the goal. At first glance, they seem simple – and they are for many. However, for far too many individuals, communities, cultures and countries, it will be a struggle. The World Health Organization states: “Nine in 10 cervical cancer deaths occur in low and lower-middle-income countries, where women lack access to health services.”
Fast facts
- Nearly 600,000 new cervical cancer cases are diagnosed every year.
- Every 60 seconds, a woman is diagnosed with cervical cancer.
- Devastatingly, over 300,000 women each year die from cervical cancer.
- Globally, every two minutes, a woman dies from cervical cancer.
- Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women in over 40 countries.
- Around 90% of all cervical cancer deaths occur in low- to middle-income countries.
https://www.worldcancerday.org/Eliminate
Key Elements:
VACCINATE Against HPV
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common viral infection of the reproductive tract. Most sexually active women and men will be infected at some point in their lives, and some may be infected repeatedly.
- Cervical cancer is the most common HPV-related disease. Nearly all cases of cervical cancer are attributable to HPV infection.
- HPV can also cause cancers of the anus, vulva, vagina, penis and oropharynx. The vaccine is not only for girls.
- Your daughters, nieces and sisters should be vaccinated before they become sexually active. Many governments have programs that offer this to schools at around 14–15 years old.
- https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/parents/vaccine.html
- WHO fact sheet on HPV and cervical cancer
SCREENING: Pap smears.
- All adult women must have Pap smears multiple times in their lives to ensure that anomalies are caught before they become cancerous.
- No one likes them, but every woman should have them.
- Be aware of changes in your body and ask for a screening if you are concerned about anything unusual.
- If you missed your appointment during COVID-19, reschedule.
TREATMENT: Both pre-cancers and invasive cancers.
- Our healthcare services are flooded with patients suffering from COVID-19, but we must not be lax. If you didn’t follow up with treatment based on a result, do not wait.
- If an appointment was canceled, reschedule. We shouldn’t put unnecessary strain on healthcare services, but this is necessary.
Elimination of cervical cancer is within our reach. It will not happen in my lifetime or yours, but in the next generations it will. Eliminating cervical cancer is incredible, but it is also a preventable disease – and a curable one if detected early and adequately treated.
“It is the fourth most common cancer among women globally. Without taking additional action, the annual number of new cases of cervical cancer is expected to increase from 570,000 to 700,000 between 2018 and 2030, while the annual number of deaths is projected to rise from 311,000 to 400,000. In low- and middle-income countries, its incidence is nearly twice as high and its death rates three times as high as those in high-income countries.” – World Health Organization
Target 3.4: Reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment.- Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage (UHC), including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health care services, and access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.
Resources:
https://www.worldcancerday.org/
https://www.esmo.org/oncology-news/who-estimation-of-cervical-cancer-mortality