Human papilloma virus (HPV) and cervical cancer

The eradication of cervical cancer; a human papilloma virus (HPV) related malignancy of the cervical mucosa had become a recent topic of discussion in the media. This follows on from the research conducted into the outcomes of HPV vaccination programme.

This article will look at the research findings and the potential impact this will have on the National Health Service Cervical Screening programme.

The World Health Organisation calculates that cervical cancer was the fourth most common cancer is women worldwide with approximately 530,000 new cases in 2012. The estimated mortality was 270,000.¹

In the UK, cervical cancer is the 14th most common cancer in women, with around 3200 new cases reported in 2016.
In that year there were estimated to be 870 deaths from cervical cancer.²