Sylvester, WHO team up in a bid to eliminate cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is a preventable and treatable disease. Yet, it kills about 300,000 women annually worldwide. The World Health Organization is hoping to get that number to zero by 2030.

Toward that end, WHO has designated Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami as the first “WHO Collaborating Center for Cervical Cancer Elimination.” The announcement comes a year after WHO announced a global mission to eliminate cervical cancer.

“It represents a shared collective commitment to advancing health equity,” said Erin Kobetz, Ph.D., associate director for population sciences and cancer disparity at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Together, we can generate solutions that help us achieve the promise of a cervical cancer-free tomorrow.”

The announcement was made virtually from Geneva on Nov. 17 by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

“We have the tools and knowledge to eliminate cervical cancer,” he said in a press release. “What we do with that is up to us.”

Most cervical cancer caused by HPV

Approximately 99% of cervical cancer cases are caused by HPV, human papillomavirus, or a group of viruses that is mainly transmitted through sexual contact. Worldwide, cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer in women, according to the World Health Organization.

A vaccine prevents the types of HPV that cause most cervical cancers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the HPV vaccine for 11- and 12-year-old girls and girls and women ages 13 through 26 who have not been vaccinated or have not completed the vaccine series.

The vaccine has been disproportionately allotted to wealthier countries. As a result, more than 85 percent of the 300,000-plus annual cervical cancer deaths occur in people living in lower- and middle-income countries, WHO reports.

“Cervical cancer is an often-forgotten disease,” Kobetz said. “We create conditions where cervical cancer continues to persist, despite being totally preventable.”

Getting more girls and women vaccinated

The first step to eliminating cervical cancer is getting more girls and women vaccinated against HPV.

Sylvester and the WHO are aiming to have 90% of girls vaccinated against HPV by age 15. Additionally, they hope to have 70% of women screened for HPV by age 35, then a second time at 45.

It takes 15 to 20 years for cervical cancer to develop in women whose immune systems are not compromised. But it can take only 5 to 10 years for it to develop in women with compromised or weakened immune systems, most notably from untreated HIV infection.

The partnership between Sylvester and the WHO was not coincidental. South Florida has one of the highest rates of cervical cancer in the country.

“In some neighborhoods, the disease burden is more consistent with low- and middle-income countries,” Kobetz said.

Over the past 15 years, Sylvester has been analyzing the factors behind the high rates and expanding vaccination access to communities at risk.

“We are a very easy partner given our historical connection to the state,” Kobetz said.