Cervical cancer death toll ‘must be cut’

Date: 30/04/03

By Martin Banks

MUCH more needs to be done to cut the death toll from cervical cancer, says the European Institute for Women's Health (EIWH).

It follows an audit by the institute of cervical cancer screening in member states and the ten accession states.

The findings show that cases have been declining in recent years, largely due to the introduction of national screening programmes.

But it says there are "significant" national, and even regional, variations in mortality and incidence rates in the EU.

Currently, only six member states - Finland, UK, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden - have screening programmes.

Highest rates of cervical cancer are in east European countries where a major barrier to addressing the issue is a lack of resources, according to the Dublin-based institute.

Peggy Maguire, the institute's director general, said: "One of the most important results of our audit is to confirm in no uncertain terms that cervical cancer screening programmes work.

"Finland, for example, which has had a national screening programme for decades, has a very low incidence and mortality rate for the disease, while Ireland, which does not have a national screening programme, has a considerably higher rate."

The report highlights the most vulnerable age group - women aged between 20 and 29. It also underlines the critical importance of early detection systems.

"There are many, many diseases which remain difficult to detect, are invasive, traumatic and expensive to treat," Maguire said. "Cervical cancer is not one of these. It is wholly preventable and treatable if detected in time.

"This disease is still with us and continues to kill more than 12,800 women needlessly every year in the EU. More needs to be done and the incidence and mortality rates for cervical cancer should be zero."

Much more needs to be done to cut the death toll from cervical cancer, says the European Institute of Women's Health (EIWH).

http://www.eurohealth.ie/cancom/eiwh.htm http://www.eurohealth.ie/cancom/eiwh.htm

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