Cervical cancer: Institut Curie brings to the UN the voice of international solidarity

On September 29, 2022, for the 8th Scientific Summit held at the 77th United Nations General Assembly in New York, Institut Curie reminded that it is urgent to act and that concrete solutions exist. This session has been an opportunity to present examples of prevention strategies implemented in East Africa, Colombia and Serbia, and international clinical and translational research on cervical cancer.

Cancer management is a sad example of the inequities in access to health care around the world, and cervical cancer is one of the most glaring markers of this. While cervical cancer can be detected early and treated well, it remains one of the leading causes of cancer deaths among women in developing countries. Each year the situation worsens and, in view of this situation, it is urgent to intensify cooperation with these countries.

Bring Institut Curie's expertise to countries where this cancer is still very deadly

Institut Curie, a reference center for the treatment of women's cancers, is actively involved researches in this field, particularly in collaboration with other centers in Europe and Latin America. On the clinical side, the development of new treatments for advanced and recurrent cervical cancer is very active (therapeutic vaccines against HPV, new immunotherapies, etc.).

Aware of the importance of this challenge, the Institut Curie is stepping up its aid to developing and least developed countries. For example, to support Tanzania, a country with a population of 60 million, which is in a very precarious situation in terms of cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment, the Institut Curie is co-piloting a project aimed at developing early diagnosis and doubling the number of radiotherapy machines, which are essential for the treatment of cervical cancer.

Investing in research is also imperative to provide the most personalized treatments possible. Among more than 100 types of HPV, two are responsible for approximately 70% of all cervical cancer cases worldwide. A major challenge is to understand the impact of these subtypes on uterine tumors.

Inequalities in cervical cancer are one of the symbols of inequalities in access to health care in the world. We must reverse this trend and make cervical cancer an example of international medical and scientific cooperation and solidarity. The stakes are high, as we have the opportunity to prevent hundreds of thousands of cancers over the next decade.

Explains Prof. Christophe Le Tourneau, medical oncologist, head of the early clinical trials department at the Institut Curie and professor of medicine at the University of Paris-Saclay, and chairman of the conference at the UN.

Cervical cancer: WHO's 2022 priority

The World Health Organization (WHO) has made equal access to care one of its founding principles. Regardless of her social origin and territorial location, a woman must have a real hope of being taken care of in time, or of being offered an appropriate treatment. 

The reality is that nearly 90% of deaths occur in developing countries, where cervical cancer is the most difficult to manage because of limited access to public health services and lack of screening and treatment. It is the leading cause of cancer death among women in 40 countries. In 2020, it is estimated that more than 600,000 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer worldwide and 342,000 died from it. Africa is particularly affected. [1]

The WHO has made it a priority in 2022 to make cervical cancer completely preventable through two effective and complementary interventions: HPV vaccination and screening.  These prevention approaches have been successful in reducing cervical cancer in high-income countries, where vaccination is offered as early as age 11 and regular Pap smear screening is offered from age 25 to 65. Achieving the 90-70-90 targets set by WHO is imperative (HPV vaccination for 90% of 15-year-old girls; screening with a high-performance test for 70% of women aged 35 and 45; treatment for 90% of women diagnosed).