{"id":2330,"date":"2023-01-23T10:47:34","date_gmt":"2023-01-23T10:47:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/cancerprevention\/?p=2330"},"modified":"2024-02-16T19:08:31","modified_gmt":"2024-02-16T19:08:31","slug":"the-fight-for-global-health-equity-eliminating-cervical-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cancerprevention.qmul.ac.uk\/index.php\/2023\/01\/23\/the-fight-for-global-health-equity-eliminating-cervical-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fight for Global Health Equity: Eliminating Cervical Cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Today marks the start of  Cervical Cancer Prevention Week: 23rd\u201329th January 2023<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To celebrate, we are sharing a speech made by the leader of our group, Professor of Cancer Prevention, Peter Sasieni<\/a>, for London Global Cancer Week<\/a> in the House of Lords<\/a> in November last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fight for Global Health Equity: Eliminating Cervical Cancer<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tuesday 29th<\/sup> November 2022
House of Lords, Houses of Parliament, London, SW1A 0PW<\/em>
Professor Peter Sasieni<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baroness Scotland, Lord Bishop of Carlisle, Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentleman\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Power of Science<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cervical cancer is the only common cancer that is largely preventable. In the UK we are on target to making it a very rare disease. That is only possible because of scientific discoveries, many of which have involved British researchers and relied on Cancer Research UK funding. Scientific research generates knowledge and develops applications of that knowledge for the public good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1950, about 1 in 100 deaths in women in the UK were from cervical cancer. Today, thanks to a world-leading screening programme, that figure is 1 in 400<\/a>. What is more, HPV vaccination is preventing most cervical cancers in young women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I started my career, we did not know what caused cervical cancer; and screening was yet to have a substantial impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I recall lecturing on the epidemiology of cervical cancer at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in the early \u201890s. Most of the audience did not think that HPV caused the disease. And one of my first research papers showed how only after the reorganisation of screening in 1989 did cervical cancer rates in this country begin to fall<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much has changed since then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Credit: NIMR, Francis Crick Institute<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Key Milestones<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n