8th Scientific Summit of the 77th General Assembly of the United Nations 77 (SSUNGA77)
Latin America Group of the SSUNGA77 Sept. 13 to Sept. 30, 2022 New York, USA
Venue
Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations
245 East, 47th Street - 44th floor
New York, NY, 10017
USA
Cervical cancer as a revealing example of worldwide disparities in cancer prevention and care
Sept. 29, 2022
Organizers:
Prof. Christophe Le Tourneau, Head of the Department of Drug Development and Innovation, Institut Curie, Paris, France
Prof. Fabrice Lecuru, Head of Gynaecological Surgery, Department of Surgery, Institut Curie, Paris, France
Dr. Maud Kamal, Head of the Scientific Coordination Unit, Department of Drug Development and Innovation, Institut Curie, Paris, France
Participants:
Dr. Carolina Wiesner, Director, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología de Colombia, Bogota, Colombia
Dr. Partha Basu, Deputy Head, Early Detection, Prevention & Infections Branch, WHO, International Agency for Research & Cancer, Lyon, France
Prof. Hussein Kidanto, Associate Dean, Aga Khan University, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Prof. Aljosa Mandic, Head of Gynaecology Oncology Department and President of Serbian Society of Gynaecology Oncology, Oncology Institute of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, Serbia
Cancer is one of the most important public health problem with an increasing incidence. Huge disparities in prevention and care exist across regions of the world. Acting on these disparities would significantly decrease cancer incidence and mortality. Cervical cancer is a compelling example, since prevention and high quality care dramatically reduce its incidence and mortality.
Cervical cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in women worldwide. Half a million of women per year are diagnosed with cervical cancer worldwide, and 270,000 women die from cervical cancer every year. In countries with adequate screening practices, the incidence and mortality rates of cervical cancer have been stable over the last years with a low mortality to incidence ratio. The mortality remains however high in populations with inadequate or absent screening practices. Incidence and mortality levels due to cervical cancer vary according to geographical regions. In the extended European Union, mortality rates are much higher in Central and Eastern countries. Rates also largely differ between Northern America and South America.
More recently, vaccination approaches against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) have been shown effective in reducing the incidence of cervical cancer that is most of time induced by the HPV. Large differences also exist across the globe in terms of access, political incentives and populations’ willingness to vaccination against HPV.
Finally, novel immunotherapeutics have been developed to fight advanced cervical cancer, with an access in a very limited number of countries. Overall, cervical cancer is one of the most revealing example of worldwide disparities in cancer prevention and care, with one or the other being true for other cancers.
During our session, we will provide an overview on global and local prevention strategies related to cervical cancer worldwide and discuss new therapeutic approaches and advances in translational research in this field. Speakers with epidemiological, medical, and social backgrounds from France, Colombia, WHO, Tanzania, and Serbia will participate in this session.
