What are the morbidity and mortality rates for cervical cancer?

From the Guidelines

Cervical cancer has significant morbidity and mortality rates globally, with approximately 527,600 new cases and 265,700 deaths worldwide in 2012, as reported by the most recent and highest quality study 1.

Morbidity and Mortality Rates

The morbidity associated with cervical cancer includes bleeding, pain, fistula formation, lymphedema, sexual dysfunction, and psychological distress. Treatment side effects contribute to morbidity, including urinary and bowel complications from radiation, surgical complications, and chemotherapy toxicities.

• The 5-year relative survival for European women diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2000–2007 was 62%, ranging from 57% in Eastern Europe to 67% in Northern Europe 1.
• Survival was particularly low (< 55%) in Bulgaria, Latvia, and Poland and highest in Norway (71%) 1.
• Survival decreased with advancing age at diagnosis, from 81% for 15–44-year olds to 34% for women 75 years 1.

Screening and Prevention

Regular screening through Pap tests and HPV testing can significantly reduce both morbidity and mortality by detecting precancerous lesions before they progress.

• The Papanicolaou (Pap) test has been the standard method for cervical cancer screening, reducing the incidence by 60%–90% and the death rate by 90% 1.
• HPV vaccination programs have shown promise in reducing cervical cancer incidence in younger populations, which will likely improve these statistics over time as vaccination coverage increases globally 1.

Key Factors

The most significant cause of cervical cancer is persistent papillomavirus infection, with HPV detected in 99% of cervical tumors, particularly the oncogenic subtypes such as HPV 16 and 18 1.

• Three HPV vaccines are licensed and available: the bivalent HPV virus-like particle vaccine (2vHPV), the quadrivalent HPV virus-like particle vaccine (4vHPV), and nine-valent HPV virus-like particle vaccine (9vHPV) 1.
• Post-licensure reports from countries with established HPV vaccination programs indicate that HPV vaccination has a beneficial effect at the population level, including decreases in the incidence of high-grade cervical abnormalities, the prevalence of vaccine HPV types, and the incidence of genital warts 1.

From the Research

Cervical Cancer Morbidity and Mortality

• Cervical cancer is a leading preventable cause of cancer morbidity and mortality globally, caused by oncogenic types of human papillomavirus (HPV) 2.
• The disease burden remains heavy worldwide, despite various preventions and treatments such as HPV screening, prophylactic HPV vaccines, surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy 3.
• Cervical cancer is highly preventable and can be easily treated if detected at early stages, but there is a disproportionate high burden of cervical cancer incidence and mortality in low-middle income country settings 4.

Global Burden of Cervical Cancer

• Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers threatening women's health, and the persistent infection of high-risk HPV is closely related to the pathogenesis of cervical cancer and many other cancers 3.
• Nearly all cervical cancers are caused by specific types of human papillomavirus (HPV), and prophylactic vaccination for HPV provides the most effective method of primary prevention against HPV-related diseases 5.
• The main risk factor for invasive cervical carcinoma is persistent infection by the high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV), and cervical cancer is an HPV disease with the highest worldwide burden in resource-limited nations 6.

Prevention and Screening Strategies

• The use of the Pap test and HPV test, according to published guidelines, provides the most effective means of screening for cervical cancer 5.
• Innovations like self-collection of samples to increase screening access, innovative triage methods to optimize management of screen positives, and scalable and efficacious precancer treatment approaches will be key to further enhance the utility of prevention interventions 2.
• The best strategy to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer is through the administration of HPV vaccines along with routine cervical screening 6.