Algerian Radio
The United Nations has revealed that cervical cancer, the fourth most common cancer among women, claims a woman's life every two minutes.
Marking Cervical Cancer Awareness Month in January, the World Health Organization (WHO) emphasizes that the disease is both preventable and curable. Cervical cancer is a reproductive cancer that develops in a woman's cervix and can metastasize to other parts of the body if not detected or treated early.
According to the WHO, an estimated 660,000 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer worldwide in 2022, resulting in approximately 350,000 deaths.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warns that the disease kills one woman every two minutes. Almost all cases of cervical cancer are linked to infection with high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV), which are transmitted through sexual contact.
The WHO reiterated that cervical cancer can be prevented and cured, provided there is appropriate access to screening, vaccination, and treatment.
The organization recommends HPV vaccination for all girls aged 9 to 14. Furthermore, cervical cancer is considered one of the most successfully treatable forms of cancer if diagnosed early and managed effectively.
However, inequality in access to prevention and treatment remains a critical issue, leading to high incidence and mortality rates in certain regions of the world, such as Africa, Central America, and Southeast Asia.
In 2020, 194 countries adopted a global strategy aimed at eliminating cervical cancer. The launch date of this initiative, November 17, is now observed as the Global Day for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer.
The strategy outlines three targets to be achieved by 2030:
- 90% of girls fully vaccinated against HPV by the age of 15.
- 70% of women screened with a high-performance test by the age of 35, and again by the age of 45.
- 90% of women identified with cervical disease receiving treatment.
The strategy estimates that successfully eliminating cervical cancer could avert 74 million new cases and prevent 62 million deaths by the year 2120.
