Taking action to prevent cervical cancer

The prevalence of HPV infection remains high in the population, and there is a rising incidence of cervical cancer among young women in China, medical experts said during a health event promoting cervical cancer prevention and control on Saturday.

Cervical cancer is a disease with clear pathogen and can be prevented through vaccination. But the incidence in China is still at a high level.

There were about 110,000 new patients with cervical cancer and 59,000 deaths in China in 2020. It means there is one woman being diagnosed with cervical cancer every five minutes, and one woman will die of the disease every 10 minutes in the nation.

The continuous infection of high-risk HPV subtype is the major reason of cervical cancer. More than 70 percent of cervical cancer in the world is related to the HPV subtypes 18 and 16. Sexual behavior is the major cause of high-risk HPV infection.

It takes 10 to 20 years for a woman with high-risk HPV infection to develop cervical cancer, while the process is only five years for those with low immunity.

"The most effective prevention for cervical cancer is vaccination and regular screening after a certain age for early detection and early intervention," said Dr Wang Linhong from the Chinese Preventative Medicine Association's female healthcare branch. "Through proper measures, cervical cancer is preventable and treatable."

Female aged between nine and 14 are the most important and suitable target for HPV vaccination. The World Health Organization supports people at such age group to undergo two-dose vaccination.

"Even with vaccination, women aged 30 years or older must receive regular screening," she added.

To boost women's health, the Chinese government is promoting HPV vaccination and plans to have 70 percent of women aged between 35 and 45 years covered by cervical cancer screening, experts said.

"To promote public education, domestic experts have worked together to issue a book with 50 hot questions about cervical cancer prevention," Wang said.

"All the 50 questions are the most asked online and of medics being consulted during their outpatient service. We give authoritative answers through simple and clear sentences for better educational effect."