| No images? Click here  13 April 2021 Honoring women beyond International Women's DayEvery year, International Women’s Day (8 March) offers us the opportunity to reflect on the advances we’ve made to improve the health and well-being of women and girls everywhere. This year’s theme #ChooseToChallenge reminded us that standing up against gender inequality and promoting women’s rights – particularly their right to health – must remain at the heart of our efforts to eliminate cervical cancer.  The good news is that progress continues to be made in expanding services so that all women can access prevention, care and treatment for cervical cancer. New guidance from WHO and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the procurement of radiotherapy equipment could improve access to this life-saving cancer treatment option that is still lacking in many parts of the world. I spoke at the webinar which accompanied the launch of the publication on 5 March, where I emphasized that radiotherapy is one of the most effective tools to mitigate pain associated with cancer, as well as saving lives. Cervical cancer is curable if we catch it early, and radiotherapy can play a very important role in making elimination a reality. And yet inequities in access remain for many women, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.  We want to hear from you!
If you have any friends or colleagues who are interested in learning more about our work, please share this newsletter with them. Anyone can sign up to receive monthly updates here. As we continue moving forward, we must remember that behind every statistic we hear about cervical cancer are real women: daughters, mothers, friends, partners and wives. We owe it to all women to eliminate this preventable and curable cancer once and for all. Thank you, Dr Nono Simelela Building a movement for cervical cancer elimination in Brazil Photo: Movimento Brasil sem câncer do colo do útero The Brazilian community immediately accepted the challenge when in May 2018 WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros called for action towards the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem. The first necessary step, according to Dr. Angelica Nogueira-Rodrigues from the Brazilian Group of Gynecology Oncology, was to gather and align all the institutions involved in HPV vaccination, cervical cancer screening, and treatment in the country, adding efforts in order to adapt to the goals of the elimination strategy. The following institutions have agreed to work together towards this goal in the “Movimento Brasil sem Câncer do Colo do Útero”: Associação Médica Brasileira (AMB), Sociedade Brasileira de Oncologia Clínica (SBOC), Federação Brasileira das Associações de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia (FEBRASGO), Sociedade Brasileira de Cirurgia Oncológica (SBCO), Sociedade Brasileira de Radioterapia (SBRT), Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria (SBP), Sociedade Brasileira de Imunizações (SBIm), Sociedade Brasileira de Patologia, Sociedade Brasileira de Urologia, Associação Brasileira de Patologia do Trato Genital Inferior e Colposcopia, Grupo Brasileiro de Cabeça e Pescoço, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Instituto Oncoguia, Lado a Lado (LAL), FEMAMA, Projeto CURA and the proponent institution Grupo Brasileiro de Tumores Ginecológicos (GBTG-EVA). A national timeline to work on cervical cancer and HPV vaccine awareness was created along with the slogan “Nós seremos a primeira geração sem câncer do colo do útero” – “We will be the first generation without cervical cancer.” To commemorate the launch of the Global Strategy on November 17th, 2020, an online presentation was held to highlight issues faced by the country. In addition, scientific institutions involved in cervical cancer screening, control and treatment discussed the Brazilian strategies based on available resources in the country, highlighting efforts to adapt WHO’s Global Strategy within the current situation in Brazil. Complementing the Strategy’s vaccination target, Brazil will also aim to increase boys’ vaccination coverage as it is available in the Brazilian public health system. In an effort to work towards the Strategy’s target of 70% of women screened with a high-performance test by 35 years of age and again by 45 years of age, the movement seeks to begin to incorporate the HPV DNA test in the Brazilian public health system. This goal will demand greater efforts since the pap smear test is presently the only available cervical cancer screening strategy in the Brazilian public health system. However, after four decades using pap smear as a method of screening for cervical cancer in Brazil, there is a consensus that the country should adopt high performance screening tests because the pap smear has not yielded the necessary results. To achieve the strategy’s target of 90% of women identified with cervical disease receive treatment, the movement aims to adopt “screen and treat” strategies within poorly resourced areas. The institutions agreed on the aim of aligning the proposal goals with medical societies to correctly inform civil society and work with the Brazilian Government towards cervical cancer elimination. Several challenges remain to reach the elimination targets set out in the Global Strategy, and an integrated system seems to be key to ensure program sustainability in the future. Since the outbreak the COVID-19 pandemic, Brazilian health services have had to adapt in order to assist infected patients, while also continuing to care for those with other potentially life-threatening diseases such as cervical cancer. This has likely slowed down the progress toward cervical cancer vaccination, screening and treatment, and a reset is mandatory. According to research from SBOC, 74% of the Brazilian oncologists reported interruption on cancer care during the pandemic. Despite this, participating medical societies and supporting institutions continue to advocate to support the WHO initiative. Joining forces to realize WHO's Global Strategy from Europe to Sub-Saharan AfricaThe European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (EPF) and MEP Chrysoula Zacharopoulou hosted an online expert discussion to capitalize on the momentum of WHO’s Global Strategy and discuss work to eliminate cervical cancer in Europe, while shedding light on the elimination challenges faced in Sub-Saharan Africa. This high-level dialogue provided a space for the European Commission, the WHO, Members of Parliaments and governments, the scientific community and civil society to mobilize, find synergies and join forces to accomplish the global goals to eliminate cervical cancer. In her keynote speech during the event, Dr Simelela presented an introduction to WHO’s Global Strategy. “We need to advocate very, very strongly to make sure that the tools to diagnose, treat and ensure that women with cervical cancer live full and productive lives, are accessible at an affordable price and available for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).” She described the need for partnerships and targeted outreach for a cervical cancer free future for every person on the planet, saying, “When we speak of treatment, we need to meet women where they are: family planning clinics, HIV services, antenatal care services, outreach services and any area where women convene." For more information, visit the EPF’s website. Spearheading a campaign to improve cervical cancer awareness in Nigeria Dr Amina Abubkar Bello, February 2021 In her home state of Niger in North-Central Nigeria, Dr Amina Abubakar Bello, the state’s First Lady, is spearheading a campaign to improve awareness and treatment of breast and cervical cancers – the most common cancers in women in Nigeria.“I have seen the effects of cervical and breast cancer,” says Dr Bello, who is also a member of the Director-General's Expert Group of Cervical Cancer Elimination, as she recounted the challenges and success of her cancer awareness drive. Dr Bello’s initiative came about when she noticed there was little awareness of both cancers in her state, nor any system or service addressing cancer comprehensively. To respond to this need, her Raise Foundation launched a prevention programme to tackle both cervical and breast cancers early and ensure the best chance of survival. Through her initiative, 7400 women have been screened and 123 supported to get treatment since 2016. Advocacy is often a slow process, and yet it works when the right messages reach the right stakeholders. “Based on my experience, addressing misconceptions that people have is essential…it gives them a freeway to make informed decisions and present themselves to hospitals for early detection.” WHO Global Strategy to be piloted in the Western Pacific On Friday, 26 March 2021, the VCS Foundation convened its 5th Preventing Cervical Cancer Conference (PCC2021), in conjunction with the Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council’s Centre for Excellence in Cervical Cancer Control, where the C4 consortia released its first 2021 Cervical Cancer Elimination Progress Report. Lead author and Associate Professor Julia Brotherton said, “In Australia, whilst we have already done so much great work in preventing and controlling this terrible disease, the report was an opportunity to look more closely at where we are now and what still remains to be done.” The report confirms this, and also gives a roadmap for next steps to make sure the country’s prevention and treatment programs are reaching everyone. Despite progress, inequities persist, particularly for those in remote areas and disadvantaged communities. Long term, the report shows that the successful implementation of the elimination strategy is expected to save the lives of 150,000 women in Papua New Guinea alone. New Economist series on financing cervical cancer elimination in low-resource settings  The Economist’s Intelligence Unit published a special series about global action on financing cervical cancer elimination, which explores high-level challenges associated with funding elimination activities in lower resource settings. While challenges around long-term viability and the financial sustainability of these efforts may present themselves, the elimination ambition represents a renewed opportunity to adopt a full-continuum approach, building on universal health coverage, and exploring innovative approaches to financing and delivery as countries scale up elimination services. The series, supported by Unitaid, UICC and Expertise France, lays out the following priorities to engage policy and finance decision makers:
Kenyan Ministry of Health launches new guidelines for cancer specimen handling  Acting Director General, Dr. Patrick Amoth launching the guidelines; Credit: Kenyan Ministry of Health On 7 April, the Kenyan Ministry of Health released guidelines for cancer specimen handling which it intends to use towards early cancer diagnosis in Kenya. The purpose of these guidelines is to standardize and optimize cancer diagnosis for priority cancers through proper handling, processing of specimens and referrals. Upcoming Events 24-30 April 2021: World Immunization Week Theme: Vaccines bring us closer WHO Resources Publication Highlights Report by the Economist Intelligence Unit From Science to Action to Impact: Eliminating Cervical Cancer Special Issue, Preventative Medicine, Volume 144, March 2021 National action towards a world free of cervical cancer for all women Published in: Preventative Medicine, Volume 144, March 2021 To control cancer we must spark surgery activism Published in: Newton Fund and Global Challenges Research Fund, April 2021 You are receiving this email because you are included on a WHO mailing list. If you have been forwarded this update you can click here to subscribe.        |
Tuesday, April 13, 2021
WHO | Cervical Cancer Free Future Update
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