There are nearly 500,000 new cases of cervical cancer diagnosed each year worldwide, and every year nearly 274,000 women die from the disease, with about 80% of these deaths occurring in developing countries where there is little or no access to cervical screening programmes.[1]
"HPV vaccination has the potential to make a huge difference to women's lives, particularly in developing countries," said Professor Kitchener. "Cervical cancer is a major killer of women worldwide. It is not only one of the largest causes of death due to cancer, but is also responsible for a great deal of suffering. Tragically, its regions of highest incidence are those in which preventative screening cannot be provided due to lack of resources, and those least well equipped to treat the condition for the same reason.
"In more affluent well-developed countries, cervical screening by means of cytology has become an established strategy for identifying women at risk of developing cervical cancer and has been responsible for a dramatic fall in incidence and death rates. Vaccination programmes will still require some form of screening to be in place either for unvaccinated women or for women who develop an HPV infection despite the vaccination. Falling death rates have also been due to improved forms of treatment for advanced disease, principally in the form of concomitant chemotherapy and radiotherapy."
Professor Kitchener concluded: "HPV vaccines provide hope for major international programmes of primary preventio
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Source:Teenage Cancer Trust