Cervical cancer elimination: actions needed in the COVID-19 era
Menée à partir des données GLOBOCAN portant sur 185 pays et territoires, cette étude présente pour l'année 2020 une estimation de l'incidence du cancer du col de l'utérus et de la mortalité associée
WHO launched the global Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative (CCEI) in 2020 to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer.1 The aim of the initiative is to reduce cervical cancer incidence to less than 4 cases per 100 000 women-years in every country of the world and to narrow disparities between countries. The WHO CCEI also emphasises the need for improved surveillance and continuous monitoring of cervical cancer in all countries. Therefore, it is crucial to monitor risk factors associated with cervical cancer and epidemiological trends potentially affected by human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and cancer screening programmes. In The Lancet Global Health, Deependra Singh and colleagues assessed global progress in reducing cervical cancer burden at the country, world region, and global level using data from the Global Cancer Observatory.2
The global incidence of cervical cancer was high in 2020, with the incidence in 172 (93·0%) of 185 countries or territories exceeding the threshold set by the WHO CCEI.2 The authors also reported considerable variation in cervical cancer incidence and mortality among different regions and countries, with substantially lower incidence and mortality observed as the human development index (HDI) increased (incidence 27·2 cases per 100 000 women-years [95% UI 27·0–27·4] in low-HDI countries vs 9·1 [9·1–9·2] in very high-HDI countries; mortality rate 19·8 deaths per 100 000 women-years [19·7–20·0] vs 3·1 [3·1–3·2]). The authors concluded that progress in reducing the cervical cancer burden had been unequal across countries, whereby mass population-based vaccination and screening programmes have had a positive impact in high-income countries. The Article presented the most up-to-date data on cervical cancer incidence and mortality worldwide. Nevertheless, limitations were highlighted in the discussion. Caution is warranted when interpreting these findings since high-quality data from low-income and-middle-income countries (LMICs) was scarce. Additionally, the estimates were not adjusted for the COVID-19 pandemic, which might have caused a substantial delay in cancer prevention and treatment.
The Lancet Global Health , commentaire en libre accès, 2021