Cervical cancer mortality among young women in Latin America and the Caribbean: trend analysis from 1997 to 2030

Background Cervical cancer continues to show a high burden among young women worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Limited data is available describing cervical cancer mortality among young women in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The purpose of this study was to examine the mortality trends of cervical cancer among young women in LAC and predict mortality rates to 2030. Methods Deaths from cervical cancer were obtained from the World Health Organization mortality database. Age-standardized mortality rates per 100,000 women-years were estimated in women aged 20–44 years using the world standard population for 16 countries (and territories) in LAC from 1997 to 2017. We estimated the average mortality rates for the last 4 years (2014–2017). Joinpoint regression models were used to identify significant changes in mortality trends. Nordpred method was used for the prediction of the mortality rates to 2030. Results Between 2014 and 2017, Paraguay and Venezuela had the highest mortality rates of cervical cancer, whereas Puerto Rico had the lowest rates. Overall, most of the LAC countries showed downward trends of cervical cancer mortality over the entire period. Significant decreases were observed in Chile (Average annual percent change [AAPC]: − 2.4%), Colombia (AAPC: − 2.0%), Cuba (AAPC: − 3.6%), El Salvador (AAPC: − 3.1%), Mexico (AAPC: − 3.9%), Nicaragua (AAPC: − 1.7%), Panama (AAPC: − 1.7%), and Peru (AAPC: − 2.2%). In contrast, Brazil (AAPC: + 0.8%) and Paraguay (AAPC: + 3.7%) showed significant upward trends. By 2030, mortality rates are not predicted to further decrease in some LAC countries, including Argentina, Paraguay, and Venezuela. Conclusions Mortality trends of cervical cancer among young women have large variability in LAC countries. Cervical cancer screening programs have a high priority for the region. Primary and secondary prevention in the community are necessary to accelerate a reduction of cervical cancer mortality by 2030.

Cervical Cancer Mortality in Romania: Trends, Regional and Rural–Urban Inequalities, and Policy Implications

Background and Objectives: Despite being largely preventable, cervical cancer mortality still remains an important public health problem globally, in Europe, and in Romania. The European Union member states are urged to implement systematic, population-based screenings for cervical cancer, but the programs developed by the countries remain very heterogeneous. This study aimed to investigate the differences in cervix cancer mortality between Romania and EU and within Romania over the last two decades and to reveal the major sources of inequalities and the policy implications. Materials and Methods: We analyzed the number of deaths and the mortality rates by cervical cancer, standardized using the direct method, over two decades (2001–2016 for the EU, and 2001–2019 for the national and sub-national analyses). Trends, mortality reduction over the years, and mortality differences at the beginning and end of the time interval have been calculated for the EU and Romania, at national and sub-national levels (rural–urban and regions). Results: Our results revealed differences in cervical cancer mortality between Romania and EU and within Romania (among regions and rural–urban areas). These differences used to be very high in the past and are still persisting. Conclusions: The country should revisit its national cervical cancer screening program, which has been implemented for many years, but with a very limited participation rate. Due to the similar problems existing in Central-Eastern Europe, targeted support from the EU for the members from this geographical area could contribute to the minimization of differences in cervical cancer mortality among the EU members.

Family-Centered Sexual Health Intervention to Promote Cervical Cancer Screening Uptake Among Low-income Rural Women in India: A Community-Based Protocol study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the primary cause of cervical cancer, which is preventable through screening and early treatment. The Papanicolaou (Pap) test and visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), traditionally performed at the clinical setting, have been used effectively to screen for cervical cancer and pre-cancerous changes, and reduce cervical cancer mortality in high-income countries for many decades. However, these screening methods are not easily accessible to women living in low- and middle- income countries (LMIC), especially women living in rural areas. OBJECTIVE Preventing Cervical Cancer in India through Self-Sampling (PCCIS) is a community-based family-centered research project that aims to reduce avoidable cervical cancer disparities in rural area in India. The project will use HPV self-sampling, supported by a sexual health literacy intervention to increase rural women’s participation in cervical cancer screening. The objectives are to determine the effectiveness of this program in: (a) increasing sexual health literacy; (b) reducing gendered stigma of HPV and cervical cancer; (c) promoting cervical cancer screening using HPV self-sampling. METHODS We will recruit 120 women aged 30-69, who are under or never screened (UNS) for cervical cancer along with 120 supportive male relatives or friends from 3 impoverished rural / tribal villages in Palghar district in the state of Maharashtra, India. Participants will attend gender-specific sexual health education (SHE) followed by a Movie Matinee. Data will be collected though an interviewer-administered questionnaire before and after SHE. The questionnaire will include items on social demographics, medical history, attitudes, sexual health stigma, cervical cancer knowledge, and screening practices. Women will self-select whether to use HPV self-sampling. Those who do not may or may not undergo Pap test/VIA. Participants’ views regarding barriers and facilitators and suggestions to improve access and uptake will also be elicited. RESULTS PCCIS was funded in January 2020 for 15 months. Due to the COVID19 pandemic, the project was extended by one year. The protocol was approved by the research ethics boards of Ryerson University (REB 2020-104) and Tata Memorial Center (OIEC/3786/2021 /00003). Study outcome measures will include changes in knowledge/attitudes about cervical cancer screening, proportion of participants who self-select into each cohort, proportion of positive test result in each cohort- and proportion of participants with confirmed cervical cancer. Women’s experiences related to barriers and facilitators associated with the screening uptake will be captured. CONCLUSIONS This multi-faceted work could lead to reduced cervical cancer mortality and morbidity, and increased community capacity in sexual health promotion and cervical cancer prevention. Insights and lessons learned from this project can be used to inform the adaptation and scale-up of HPV self-sampling among women across India and in other countries, promote collective commitment to family-centred wellness, and support women to make healthful, personalized cervical screening decisions. CLINICALTRIAL Not Applicable

Wertheim’s Operation. Problems and achievments

Aim. Analysis of modern modification of Wertheim’s operation and its results in Bukovina region for last 10 years.Methods. Analysis of literature in internet. Data about morbidity and mortality of cancer colli uteri in Chernivtsi Oncology Center.Results. An original description of the technique of radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer by Wertheim is presented. Modifications of the Wertheim operation with various classifications of interventions are considered. In first class of this classification are included extra fascial hysterectomies without resection of tissues, lymph nodules and fascia of pelvis which directly contradicts the principles of Wertheim's operation. The results of radical laparoscopic hysterectomy for cervical cancer are discussed. In 2019 trials, there was an almost three-fold excess of relapses after laparoscopic hysterectomies compared to open operations. The issues of the epidemiology of cervical cancer in Ukraine and Bukovina are considered. The incidence of cervical cancer in the Chernivtsi region was about 70 patients per year, or 8.4 per 100,000 population (data from 2016-2018). Cervical cancer mortality was from 40 to 43 people annually or 4.3-4.7 per 100,000 population. Wertheim’s operation is performed annually in 26-34 women and is practically not accompanied by complications and mortality.Conclusion. Wertheim’s operation is safe and unique method for treatment of cervical cancer.

Trends in cervical cancer mortality in China from 1989 to 2018: an age-period-cohort study and Joinpoint analysis

Background Worldwide, cervical cancer is the second-most-common malignancy of the female reproductive system. Due to its large population, China accounted for 11.9% of cervical cancer deaths, and 12.3% of global cervical cancer DALYs in 2017. In 2009, China launched a nationwide screening program, yet mortality from cervical cancer has shown an upward trend in recent years. The aim of this study was to explore factors affecting cervical cancer mortality rates in China, and contribute to their future reduction. Methods In this descriptive study, a Joinpoint regression analysis and age-period-cohort (APC) model based on the intrinsic estimator (IE) algorithm were utilized. Data from the period 1989–2018 were extracted from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Database of WHO (1989–2000) and China Health Statistical Yearbook database (2002–2018). Results Our study found mortality from cervical cancer to have initially declined, but increase thereafter over the entire observation period in both rural and urban China. The influence of age, period and cohort effect on the mortality rate had statistical significance. The effect of age increased with years, becoming a contributing factor in women aged over 45 years countrywide. Conversely, the cohort effect became a protective factor for women born after 1938 in urban areas, and for women born after 1958 in rural areas. The period effect was relatively less impactful. Conclusions The study indicates that organized cervical screening projects facilitated the identification of potential patients, or patients with comorbidities. Correspondingly, mortality was found to increase with incidence, particularly among elderly women, indicating that newly diagnosed patients were at an advanced stage of cervical cancer, or were not receiving appropriate treatment. Therefore, the coverage of cervical cancer screening should be improved, and women’s health awareness promoted. Early diagnosis and treatment is critical to reduce the disease burden and improve outcomes.

Cervical cancer: monitoring of the main indicators characterizing this pathology in Khabarovsk Krai (2009–2019)

Aim. Conduct a comparative assessment of the main indicators of the incidence of cervical cancer in Khabarovsk Krai (20092019) аnd the prevalence of types of human papillomavirus among the female population. Materials and methods. A comparative analysis of the data of the official statistics of the Ministry of Health of Khabarovsk Krai, using the Rosstat database for the period 20092019, taking into account the incidence, mortality, prevalence of types of human papillomavirus, was carried out. The dynamics trend was determined in the process of graphical analysis of the diagram and by modeling trends. The results of the studies were subjected to the methods of statistical information processing. Results. The results revealed in our study indicate that the increase in the incidence of cervical cancer in Khabarovsk Krai from 2009 to 2019 was 44.4% (with an average annual growth rate of 4.5%). Most often, cervical cancer in Khabarovsk Krai is detected in urban residents. The share of urban women with this pathology in 2019 reached 77.2%. The proportion of stage III cancer detected exceeds the proportion of stage IIIIV cancer by 2.5 times. Mortality in patients with cervical cancer in Khabarovsk Krai exceeds that in the Russian Federation. Of the 1617 residents of the city of Khabarovsk of reproductive age, 883 (54%) women had the presence of human papillomavirus. For our region, most often, women had highly oncogenic types of human papillomavirus 16, 56, 51. Conclusion. Statistical analysis based on the results of diagnosing early and advanced stages of cervical cancer, mortality from this nosological form, and the spread of the human papillomavirus remain among the most important criteria. The data obtained make it possible to assess the effectiveness of the chosen tactics in the regions and take timely corrective measures aimed at both early detection of cervical cancer and a decrease in the persistence of the human papillomavirus in women with background cervical pathology.

Burden of Cervical Cancer in the Eastern Mediterranean Region During the Years 2000 and 2017: Retrospective Data Analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study

Background Cervical cancer is a growing health concern, especially in resource-limited settings. Objective The objective of this study was to assess the burden of cervical cancer mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) and globally between the years 2000 and 2017 by using a pooled data analysis approach. Methods We used an ecological approach at the country level. This included extracting data from publicly available databases and linking them together in the following 3 steps: (1) extraction of data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study in the years 2000 and 2017, (2) categorization of EMR countries according to the World Bank gross domestic product per capita, and (3) linking age-specific population data from the Population Statistics Division of the United Nations (20-29 years, 30-49 years, and >50 years) and GBD’s data with gross national income per capita and globally extracted data, including cervical cancer mortality and DALY numbers and rates per country. The cervical cancer mortality rate was provided by the GBD study using the following formula: number of cervical cancer deaths × 100,000/female population in the respective age group. Results The absolute number of deaths due to cervical cancer increased from the year 2000 (n=6326) to the year 2017 (n=8537) in the EMR; however, the mortality rate due to this disease decreased from the year 2000 (2.7 per 100,000) to the year 2017 (2.5 per 100,000). According to age-specific data, the age group ≥50 years showed the highest mortality rate in both EMR countries and globally, and the age group of 20-29 years showed the lowest mortality rate both globally and in the EMR countries. Further, the rates of cervical cancer DALYs in the EMR were lower compared to the global rates (2.7 vs 6.8 in 2000 and 2.5 vs 6.8 in 2017 for mortality rate per 100,000; 95.8 vs 222.2 in 2000 and 86.3 vs 211.8 in 2017 for DALY rate per 100,000; respectively). However, the relative difference in the number of DALYs due to cervical cancer between the year 2000 and year 2017 in the EMR was higher than that reported globally (34.9 vs 24.0 for the number of deaths and 23.5 vs 18.1 for the number of DALYs, respectively). Conclusions We found an increase in the burden of cervical cancer in the EMR as per the data on the absolute number of deaths and DALYs. Further, we found that the health care system has an increased number of cases to deal with, despite the decrease in the absolute number of deaths and DALYs. Cervical cancer is preventable if human papilloma vaccination is taken and early screening is performed. Therefore, we recommend identifying effective vaccination programs and interventions to reduce the burden of this disease.