The World Cancer Congress has concluded in Geneva, Switzerland, with a robust set of recommendations which, if implemented, could contribute to eliminating cervical cancer, which claims nearly 10 million lives annually around the world.
On the sidelines of the congress, which was held from 17-19 September 2024, the Commonwealth Secretariat, in partnership with TogetHER for Health and Roche Diagnostics International Limited, hosted a side event focused on the critical need for a comprehensive approach to cervical cancer elimination in the Commonwealth.
The roundtable policy discussion with the theme 'Saving the Lives of the World's Current Generation of Women: Forging the Pathway to Elimination of Cervical Cancer’ converged a diverse group of stakeholders, including healthcare practitioners, oncologists, patient advocates, and survivors who shared strategies and policies for combating cervical cancer to improve the health of women across the Commonwealth.
Stemming the Worrying Trend
In the Commonwealth, cervical cancer continues to pose a serious threat, with the number of new cases projected to rise by 55 per cent and deaths by 62 per cent by 2030. If nothing is done, it is feared that one woman in the Commonwealth could die of cervical cancer every three minutes by 2030.
Prof Karen Canfell AC D.Phil. FAHMS from the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney and the Director of the Daffodil Centre, a world-leading research centre on cancer control and policy, said:
“Coordinated efforts to meet the WHO 90-70-90 cancer targets in Commonwealth low and middle-income countries (LMICs) has the potential to avert almost 40 million cases and save over 35 million lives within a century – alleviating more than half of the burden these countries would otherwise bear”.
Discussions underscored the urgent need for accessible screening and treatment services for women beyond the age of prophylactic HPV vaccination. Participants emphasised that screening and treatment are pivotal in the cervical cancer elimination agenda.
They also raised concerns about insufficient awareness of Pillars 2 (screening) and 3 (treatment) of the WHO global strategy. This gap persists despite the harsh reality that screening and treatment services often do not reach women at the highest risk, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where fewer than 5% of women have ever been screened for cervical cancer.
Experts also explored ways to strengthen the service delivery ecosystem to establish sustainable national screening and treatment programs that save lives.
The chair of the Commonwealth International Taskforce, Dr Miriam Mutebi said:
“Over the last years, the Commonwealth Secretariat has placed an increased importance on addressing the burden of cervical cancers and other non-communicable diseases in the Commonwealth.
In 2021, the Commonwealth launched the International Task Force for Cervical Cancer Elimination to support Commonwealth member countries’ cervical cancer elimination initiatives and activities. Through this task force, the Commonwealth continues to work tirelessly to elevate the cervical cancer elimination agenda in high-level meetings such as the Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which has resulted in significant results”.
Key Recommendations and Strategies
Recommendations from the event covered several critical points regarding screening, treatment, and prevention, including:
- Strengthening the Health System: Success requires a robust, system-wide approach integrating primary prevention, strengthened laboratory capacity, digital registries, and effective treatment.
- Short-Term Life-Saving Potential: Scaling up treatment services in the short term could save up to 400,000 lives in the next decade, but treatment needs to be accessible and affordable
- Screening as a Priority: HPV screening remains critical to reducing cervical cancer mortality, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where vaccination impacts may not be seen for 20-30 years.
- HPV Vaccination's Long-Term Impact: While one-dose vaccination is transformative, its effects will take decades to materialise fully, meaning immediate action is still needed for at-risk women.
- Advancements in HPV Testing: HPV DNA testing is the recommended approach by WHO, and there is a need to address financial barriers limiting access in many countries.
These recommendations were carried forward to the Spouses of Heads of Commonwealth Member countries side event, which took place during the 2024 Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa, where the Commonwealth’s women leaders gathered to advocate for the health and well-being of all women and girls underscoring the need for every woman and girl to have access to the healthcare she needs to prevent and survive cervical cancer.
Media contact
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Ijeoma Onyeator Communications Officer, Communications Division, Commonwealth Secretariat
