Rich nations might eliminate cervical cancer by 2048, progress slow in poor countries: Study

The WHO has set an elimination target framework with the '90-70-90' goals to be met by 2030: 90% HPV vaccination coverage among girls by age 15; 70% of women screened by ages 35 and then 45; and 90% of women with pre-cancer and cancer treated.

A study published in The Lancet reports that high-income countries are on track to eliminate cervical cancer preventable through vaccination and screening by 2048, while low- and middle-income countries will see only slight reductions over the next century, leading to a widening inequality. The study notes that almost all cervical cancer cases are linked to infection with high-risk HPV. It highlights WHO's elimination target and the 90-70-90 roadmap (90% vaccination by age 15; 70% of women screened by 35 and then by 45; 90% of women with pre-cancer and cancer treated) as essential steps, and argues that achieving these targets could avert 37 million cases over the next century. The authors model five HPV prevention strategies for LMICs, including a 'status quo' scenario, and suggest that reaching 90% vaccination coverage in LMICs could lead to elimination in LMICs outside sub-Saharan Africa, with added benefits from lower-cost vaccines and expanded screening.

A September 2022 study published in The Lancet Oncology projected that a single-dose HPV vaccination with long-lasting protection and 90 percent coverage could prevent up to 78 percent of cervical cancer cases among vaccinated birth cohorts across India.