Canada will likely not succeed in its goal of eliminating cervical cancer by 2040. After a steady decline in recent years, the rate of this cancer — which is completely preventable when detected early — has now stagnated.
This finding comes five years after the launch of the World Health Organization’s strategy to eliminate cervical cancer, at which time Canada set a target of eliminating the incidence of this cancer by 2040. It is estimated that in 2025 in Canada, 1,650 people will be diagnosed with cervical cancer, and 430 will die from it, “a largely preventable outcome,” according to the report “Canadian Cancer Statistics 2025,” released Monday.
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“When I started my training and practice in oncology 30 years ago, I expected that we would be able to say that we had really brought the problem of cervical cancer under control and that it was not part of the practice. 30 years later, that is not really the case,” says Dr. Denis Soulières, hematologist-oncologist and scientific and medical spokesperson for the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS).
By 2025, cervical cancer rates are projected to be highest in Newfoundland and Labrador (10.2 cases per 100,000 people) and Saskatchewan (10.1 per 100,000). The lowest rates are anticipated in Manitoba (7.0 per 100,000), British Columbia (7.5 per 100,000), and Quebec and New Brunswick (7.8 per 100,000).
In Canada, the human papillomavirus (HPV) screening test is increasingly replacing the Pap test. In Quebec, this transition is already well underway, and by 2026, all regions should have replaced the Pap test with the HPV test, which is more accurate in detecting cervical cancer and is performed every five years.
However, Dr. Soulières laments that a large portion of the Quebec population still does not have access to the HPV test, particularly in the Montreal area. “I think that the introduction of a new test like the HPV test for detecting HPV in the cervix should be a time when we ask ourselves questions about how we promote this test to ensure better uptake,” he points out.
Compared to mammography, for example, far fewer women are being screened for cervical cancer. “The stagnation in the incidence of cervical cancer leads us to wonder why it hasn’t continued to decline as it did in previous years,” the expert points out.
The effects of vaccination will soon be felt.
Dr. Soulières points out that vaccination in Quebec has a very high rate of participation, in the range of 76 to 80 per cent. “We hope that this level of participation will continue to be high,” says Dr. Soulières
Vaccination at its highest level, that is, for both girls and boys, began about 15 years ago in a population that was not yet sexually active. Dr. Soulières therefore expects to see the most significant effects of vaccination in the coming years.
In Quebec, there are also pilot projects to give women access to HPV testing kits for home use. Some experts maintain that self-testing at home is just as effective as testing done in clinics. Dr. Soulières believes that an initial test with a clinician is necessary to understand how it works and to discuss the importance of this screening test.
—The report “Canadian Cancer Statistics 2025” was prepared by the Canadian Cancer Statistics Advisory Committee, in collaboration with the Canadian Cancer Society, Statistics Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada.
—The Canadian Press’s health coverage is supported by a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for this journalistic content.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
