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Global cervical cancer elimination: quantifying the status, progress, and gaps

Liang-Ru Zhou, Yi Li, Hongyun Wang, Ruixi Qin, Zhen Han, Rui-Feng Li

BMC Medicine, 2025

57 citations

Abstract

To address the public health concern of cervical cancer (CC), 194 countries committed to eliminate it at the initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO). We summarised quantitative results concerning CC elimination across these countries, including the progress in implementing three prevention levels (human papillomavirus [HPV] vaccination, CC screening, and treatment for patients with CC) and achievement of interim Global Strategy for Cervical Cancer Elimination targets. Data were obtained from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, WHO, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, and country responses to the WHO National Capacity Survey on Non-Communicable Diseases. This retrospective analysis examined data from 194 countries and regions, stratified by national income (high-income countries (HICs) vs low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)) and geographic location (continents such as Europe, Asia, and North America). A quantitative assessment evaluated global progress in primary, secondary, and tertiary CC prevention. By 2020, four countries had achieved Target 1 (90% of girls fully vaccinated against HPV by age 15). A total of 115 countries (51 (44.35%) HICs and 64 (55.65%) LMICs)) included HPV vaccination in their national immunisation programs. As of 2021, 133 countries (50 (37.59%) HICs and 83 (62.41%) LMICs)) implemented CC screening programs. Most of these were in Europe (41, 30.83%), Asia (32, 24.06%), and North America (20, 15.04%).…

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