Cervical cancer is primarily due to infection with the human papillomavirus (or HPV), a family of sexually transmitted viruses. By penetrating the mucous membranes of the cervix, this virus can cause precancerous lesions and develop, in rare cases, to cancer. This slow evolution can take 10 to 15 years after persistent virus infection. In France, cervical cancer affected 2,920 women last year and was the cause of 1,117 deaths, according to figures from Public Health France.
Screening organized during deployment
The number of cases “has not stopped decreasing since 1990” underline the health authorities, but this decrease is slowing down sharply. Individual smear screening is not optimal because almost one in two women does not do it regularly enough. This is why a organized cervical cancer screening is being rolled out across the country.
In the long term, it is even planned that this screening “will be based on the HPV test for 30-year-old women and more. Indeed, there is now a lot of evidence showing that screening by HPV test offers better protection against cervical cancer than screening by cytology in women “adds Public Health France.
A 70% reduction in deaths
A few months ago, a British study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, sought to understand the impact of screening on cervical cancer diagnosis and death rates. The researchers analyzed data from more than 11,500 women with cervical cancer and came to the conclusion that to achieve a smear every 3 years reduced the risk of disease-related death by 70%. A very significant figure which once again underlines the importance screening.
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- A smear every 3 years, even after 45 years
- Papillomavirus: a call for universal vaccination
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