As part of the european week for cervical cancer prevention, which takes place at the end of January, a report has just been published in the United Kingdom and suggests the hope of seeing cervical cancer disappear in the not too distant future. What regarding in France? Can screening and vaccination once morest HPV infections allow for such an optimistic view? Health on the Net make the point.
Towards the end of cervical cancer?
In France, 3,000 new cases of Cervical cancer are recorded each year in France, with approximately 1,100 deaths. Cases and deaths that have become preventable, thanks to the combination of two major prevention strategies:
- Organized screening for precancerous lesionsthanks to the cervical smear regularly recommended for all women of childbearing age;
- Vaccination of boys and girls once morest HPV infections (Human Papillomavirus) (viruses responsible for the development of precancerous lesions).
On the occasion of the European week for the prevention of cervical cancer, a British association is launching an unprecedented campaign, the title of which is ambitious: “End cervical cancer in the United Kingdom” . Is such a goal achievable in the near future? Is the situation also favorable in France?
How to convince women to participate in cervical cancer screening?
In the recent report published by Jo’s Trust, the goal of eliminating cervical cancer is described as achievable and achievable. This prospect is linked to the progress made in screening, colposcopy and vaccination once morest HPV infections. In the report, 848 healthcare professionals (nurses, medical biologists, radiologists, oncologists, researchers, etc.) took part in a survey. 87% of them believed that the elimination of cervical cancer was a national public health priority, and 17% that new actions should be implemented to achieve this, with a necessarily strong commitment from the authorities British public. A majority of them considered that additional efforts should be made to strengthen vaccination and screening, in particular by combating inequalities in access to preventive care.
Worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) has set a target of reduce the incidence of cervical cancer to 4 per 100,000 inhabitants, an incidence that is currently 11 per 100,000 in the UK. To achieve the goal, more women must be convinced to participate in screening. Less than 70% of British women are up to date with cervical cancer screening, a figure lower than 60% in France!
How to increase vaccination coverage once morest HPV infections?
To increase women’s adherence to screening, self-sampling of the HPV virus might be a solution, provided that this new screening device is made accessible on a large scale. Some studies and surveys show better compliance by women with these self-sampling devices, including among women who refuse to perform conventional screening. Another turning point in the epidemiology of cervical cancer is vaccination once morest HPV infections.
In the UK, the incidence of cervical cancer in young women has fallen by 87% since the introduction of vaccines. However, vaccination coverage is declining, for both girls and boys. Complete vaccination coverage (two doses) in the United Kingdom is 67%, a figure down 20% compared to the situation before the Covid-19 epidemic. But this vaccination coverage remains much higher than that of France, where it is less than 30%. Vaccination recommendations have only recently been changed to extend to boys. For the association, we must believe in a world without cancer of the cervix thanks to progress in prevention. The means exist and must be implemented. However, the figures show that the situation is much more advanced in the United Kingdom than in France, where vaccination is not yet having the expected success!
Estelle B., Doctor of Pharmacy
Sources
– Public Health France. santepubliquefrance.fr. Accessed January 24, 2023
