Cervical cancer could be reduce
Cervical cancer-diseases worldwide could be reduced up to the end of the century, researchers report in the journal “The Lancet Oncology”. Need two measures: a comprehensive vaccination programme against human papilloma virus (HPV), and screening.
The international team of researchers has analyzed using model calculations, the two measures would have an impact on the global number of new cases with cervical cancer. The aim was to reduce the number of cases of cervical cancer, currently at 14 per 100,000 people and the global average of four per 100,000.
In their Simulation, the researchers assumed that by 2020, there are programs in which at least 80 percent of the girls and young women vaccinated against HPV, and 70 percent of women between the ages of 35 and 45 years are investigated. This could prevent up to 2069, a total of approximately 13 million suffering from the disease, calculate the researchers. For the calculations, the researchers use data from the International Agency for research on cancer (IARC) in Lyon.
Most common cause: HPV
Cervical cancer in women worldwide and the fourth most common type of cancer. In Germany, approximately 4600 women are diagnosed annually. It is known that certain HPV types (especially HPV-16 and HPV-18) for around 90 percent of all cervical cancers are responsible. Against the most dangerous of HP viruses for more than ten years of vaccines.
Without vaccination, nearly every person is infected once in their life with HPV, many with the first sexual contact. The infection goes unnoticed and usually heals by itself. Only in a few cases, the immune system cannot eliminate the virus. A possible consequence of cell changes that can develop to cancer cells. Detected early enough, can be removed the Tissue with cellular changes before a malignant Tumor develops. Because cervical cancer usually develops slowly. The health insurance companies in Germany pay to date women 20 years and once a year a so-called Pap-smear.
“Our results indicate that a global elimination is within reach – with the resources that already exist,” said Karen Canfell from the research organisation Cancer Council of New South Wales in Sydney, lead author of the study.
So far the theory. In practice, the current vaccination Coverage in many countries but is significantly below the required 80 percent In Germany by the end of 2015 were vaccinated, only 31.3 percent of the 15-year-old girl is completely against HPV, reports the Robert Koch Institute.
Who pays for it? The study was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia.
Vaccinations and checkups should not be extended, it is likely in the next 50 years, with 44.4 million new cases, warn the researchers. The number of newly formed tumors would be doubled due to increasing world population and the increasing life expectancy of 600,000 in the year 2020 to 1.3 million in the year 2069.
What time is the goal of four cases per 100,000 inhabitants would be reached, depends primarily on the degree of development of a country – from the so-called Index of human development, in short, HDI. In countries with a very high Index, such as Germany or the US, this would be between 2055 and 2059. Low HDI countries, such as Ethiopia or Haiti could reach the goal, however, only in the period between 2090 and 2100, or not at all.