Cervical cancer ‘eliminated by 2040’ as NHS chief unveils 'truly momentous' plan
The NHS has vowed to totally eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 in a "truly momentous" move that is hoped will save thousands of lives.
Almost 3,000 women were diagnosed with the disease in England last year, with 850 losing their lives. Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of NHS England, has pledged to achieve the "life-saving ambition" by increasing uptake of the HPV vaccine and screening.
England is among the first countries in the world to set a target of eradication within the next two decades. A vaccine for HPV, which is given to boys and girls before they turn 13 and also to people at high risk of the disease. The jab will now be made more readily available at more convenient locations such as libraries and sports centres.
Around 2,700 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in England every year (Getty Images)Ms Pritchard told health leaders at the NHS Providers' annual conference in Liverpool: “It is truly momentous to be able to set out such an important, life-saving ambition – to eliminate cervical cancer would be an incredible achievement and through a combination of our HPV vaccination programme, and our highly-effective cervical screening programme, it could become a reality in in the next two decades.
“Vaccination and screening are the key tools which mean we are one step closer to achieving this and the NHS is already making it easier than ever before for people to protect themselves and their families – whether it’s through community outreach in areas of lower uptake or expanding the NHS app so that everyone has their vaccine history and booking options in the palm of their hand.
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“As ever, the public can play their part by coming forward for their vaccines and screening appointments when invited – to achieve our goal of eliminating cervical cancer, we need as many people as possible to take up the offer, so please don’t delay – it could save your life.”
It comes after the discovery of a groundbreaking new treatment that could cut death rates for cervical cancer by almost 40 per cent, according to a new study. The trial, which was led by scientists at University College London, University College London Hospital (UCLH) and part-funded by Cancer Research UK, combined a six-week course of chemotherapy with a follow-up round of chemoradiotherapy (CRT).
Cervical cancer can be deadly if not caught early - but researchers found that the death rate for women who had been administered the treatment in the study was 39 per cent lower five years later. It has been hailed as the biggest improvement in health outcomes for the cancer in 20 years.
Charity bosses have said the treatment should be "rapidly adopted" in clinics up and down the country, as the drugs used to treat chemotherapy are already legal in the UK. Researchers meanwhile pointed out that the drugs were "cheap and accessible", meaning they would be easier to roll out on the NHS. While CRT is currently the most commonly used type of treatment for cervical cancer, scientists found that giving induction chemotherapy first helps shrink the tumour, making CRT more effective.
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