Launch of online learning resources on cervical cancer screening

To mark three years of the global movement to eliminate cervical cancer, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is launching online learning resources on cervical cancer screening in additional languages.

Cervical cancer is a highly preventable and treatable form of cancer. However, in low- and middle-income countries, too many women continue to experience morbidity and mortality from cervical cancer. In 2020 alone, more than 340 000 women worldwide died from the disease.

The World Health Organization (WHO) strategy to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem was launched on 17 November 2020. It involves reaching and maintaining an incidence rate of fewer than 4 new cases of cervical cancer per 100 000 women per year. Achieving that goal rests on three key pillars and their corresponding targets:

• Vaccination: 90% of girls fully vaccinated with the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine by the age of 15 years;
• Screening: 70% of women screened using a high-performance test by the age of 35 years and again by the age of 45 years;
• Treatment: 90% of women with precancer treated and 90% of women with invasive cancer appropriately managed.

IARC supports this initiative and contributes to WHO guidance updates, best practices, and national programme implementation. IARC’s pivotal research includes establishing the role of HPV in cervical cancer, evaluating HPV vaccine safety and efficacy, and finding simplified screening alternatives for low- and middle-income countries.

On the third anniversary of the initiative, IARC is launching the following online learning resources in French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Ukrainian: Atlas of visual inspection of the cervix with acetic acid for screening, triage, and assessment for treatment; Using HPV tests for cervical cancer screening and managing HPV-positive women – a practical online guide; and Atlas of colposcopy: principles and practice.

These digital tools, which are freely available online, are enriched with hundreds of images and videos. They will help health providers to diagnose and treat cervical cancer or precancerous lesions, especially in resource-limited low- and middle-income countries.