Dr. Ginsburg Discusses Global Vaccination and Screening for Cervical Cancer

Ophira Ginsburg, MD, director of the High Risk/Cancer Genetics Program at NYU Langone's Perlmutter Cancer Center, discusses global vaccination and screening for cervical cancer.

Ten years after the introduction of the original HPV vaccines, 47 million girls had been vaccinated, says Ginsburg. Of those 47 million girls, less than 3% were living in low income country. These are countries where there is no effective population-wide cervical screening program, Ginsburg says. Of the over 250,000 women who died of cervical cancer worldwide in 2017, 90% were living in a lower-income country.

The current HPV vaccination can prevent 90% of HPV infections, but it is difficult for it to reach all countries, Ginsburg says. HPV vaccination is essential, but it must be implemented together with increased access to effective screening and treatment programs. The tools to prevent and screen for cervical cancer are available, but they must be integrated effectively in these lower income countries, Ginsburg says.