Renewed commitments and calls to action to bridge gaps in care for women’s cancers

The most recent estimates of cancer incidence and mortality continue to highlight the stark disparities that exist in developing and surviving cancer across different levels of human development, especially when it comes to women’s cancers.

Indeed, cervical cancer accounts for less than 1% of new cancer cases and cancer-related mortality in high-income countries, but is the second most diagnosed cancer and the second highest cancer-related mortality rate after breast cancer in low- and lower middle-income countries. Survival rates for breast cancer can be as high as 99% in high-income countries, while in low-resource settings such as sub-Saharan Africa, they can be lower than 40%.

Recognising the importance of addressing women’s cancers and the unique challenges faced by women in different regions, UICC is involved in various initiatives aimed at prioritising women’s health in the context of cancer.

This week, UICC joined the inaugural Forum on Cervical Cancer Elimination: Advancing the Call to Action, held from 5 to 7 March 2024, in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, which sought to mobilise governments, donors and civil society behind cervical cancer elimination efforts. The event was co-hosted by the governments of Colombia and Spain alongside the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Unitaid, UNICEF, the World Bank, the Global Financing Facility and the United States Agency for International Development.

Major country, policy and programme commitments were announced already at the inaugural session of the Forum, with nearly USD 600 million in new funding over the next three years. This includes USD 180 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USD 400 million from the World Bank and USD 10 million from UNICEF.

Sabrina Zucchello, Senior Manager, Capacity Building at UICC, who is attending the Forum, says that “with governments, technical partners and donors recommitting strongly to all three pillars of the elimination agenda, we can prevent annual deaths from rising to 410,000 by 2030, as currently estimated. The renewed funding and political commitments strongly call for all countries to accelerate their efforts towards the elimination of cervical cancer.” 

Also this week, AVAC (AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition) and TogetHER for Health re-issued a joint call to action for International HPV Awareness Day on 4 March. Initially launched on World AIDS Day 2023, the call to action, which UICC has joined, urges global leaders to improve access to the HPV vaccine for people living with HIV given the significant increased risk they face in developing cervical cancer.

Indeed, UICC has been party to global efforts to address cervical cancer elimination since collaborating with WHO on drafting the Global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem, adopted in November 2020.

UICC has since been working closely with its members in the implementation of the Global Strategy, by strengthening their advocacy skills and networks to enhance HPV vaccination efforts, screening programmes and access to treatment. UICC has also published several reports designed to improve the sharing of knowledge and strategies, addressing cervical cancer elimination in Africa, the critical role of CSOs in HPV vaccination, and how to finance elimination efforts.

Similarly, UICC supports its members via its Breast Cancer programme, aligned with WHO’s Global Breast Cancer Initiative (GBCI), to improve access to cost-effective screening and treatment services of breast cancer in countries where they are needed.

Since its launch four years ago, UICC’s Breast Cancer programme has, to date, engaged over 400 member organisations in capacity building activities to strengthen health care systems and improve early detection. The collective impact of most recent breast cancer programme grantees shows that over 3,000 women have been screened and over 900 professionals have been trained on screening methods in 2023 through UICC funding.

The upcoming World Cancer Congress in September in Geneva, Switzerland will be further addressing the issue of women and cancer to improve cancer care for women worldwide. Dedicated sessions will feature discussions on critical components for eliminating cervical cancer, share insights on HPV-based screening for cervical cancer, and explore collaborative efforts in Francophone Africa. These sessions will showcase the comprehensive approach needed to address women's cancers. Additionally, a workshop focused on breast cancer will be held in partnership with WHO's Global Breast Cancer Initiative, to support the dissemination of key practices and bolster the adoption of effective cancer care strategies amongst the cancer community.

Discover the preliminary programme of the World Cancer Congress 2024