Eliminating Cervical Cancer
Australia on-track to be the first country to eliminate cervical cancer
Australia is poised to be the first country to approach cervical cancer elimination due to a combination of screening and HPV vaccination.
It was one of the first countries to implement a national HPV vaccination program in 2007, targeting girls aged 12-13 years, older adolescents and later on, also adolescent boys (National Cancer Institute 2023), with the following outcomes:
- Dramatic Reduction in Pre-cancers: a 90% reduction in high-grade cervical abnormalities (pre-cancers) among vaccinated women in the first decade of the program.
- Decline in HPV Infection Prevalence: The prevalence of vaccine-targeted HPV types in young women dropped by over 90%.
- Anticipated Cancer Elimination: Based on current trends, Australia is projected to be the first country to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem within the next two decades (reducing the incidence to less than 4 cases /100,000).
HISTOLOGICALLY CONFIRMED HIGH GRADE LESIONS PER 1,000 WOMEN
* Age-standardised rate (0–84 years), standardised using the 2001 Australian population
The HPV vaccine stands as a testament to how scientific innovation can not only make great strides against cancer, but eliminate it completely. This paradigm is set to be replicated with other advances in the field of cancer, including early detection using liquid based biopsies, and treatment using therapeutic vaccines and gene therapy.
We are moving closer to a future where cancer is no longer a threat.