Cervical cancer remains 4th biggest cancer in women

Cervical cancer (cancer of the cervix) is preventable and curable, only if it is detected early and managed effectively.

- SHOBHA SHUKLA - CNS

Yet it is the 4th most common cancer among women worldwide, with the disease occurring in 660,000 women and claiming the lives of 350,000 women in 2022 worldwide, as per the World Health Organization (WHO).

China, India, and Indonesia had the highest number of cervical cancer cases in 2022. Moreover 42% of cervical cancer cases and 39% of deaths associated with it worldwide, took place in China and India23% cases and 16% deaths in China, and 19% cases and 23% deaths in India. India reported over 123,000 new cases of cervical cancer and around 77,000 deaths — highest number of deaths worldwide in 2022.

Cervical cancer disproportionately affects younger women, and as a result, 20% of children who lose their mother to cancer do so due to cervical cancer, says WHO.

As cervical cancer is the only cancer that can be eliminated, the WHO Director General had called upon the governments in 2018 to eliminate it. All governments globally committed to do so by 2030 (by endorsing the global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030 at the World Health Assembly 2020). But despite some progress, the world is way off the mark from the elimination goal in 2025.

Where cervical cancer burden is greatest, access to lifesaving services is most broken

Cervical cancer reflects the global inequities between the Global North and the Global South: The highest rates of cervical cancer incidence and mortality are in lowand middle-income countries. In fact, 94% of the cervical cancer deaths in 2022 took place in these countries where access to health services is appalling. This reflects major health inequities which are driven by lack of access to vaccination, cervical cancer screening and treatment services.