World Cancer Day: Early cervical cancer diagnosis could save lives of over 300,000 women

4 February 2019

Women in developing countries generally don’t have access to preventable measures that could treat cervical cancer. And, when they are diagnosed it’s usually at an advance stage and can’t be treated properly. The World Health Organization (WHO) said women in poor countries are 9/10 times more likely to die from cervical cancer, and that will increase by almost 50% by 2040 if no action is taken.

WHO explained that in order to success and prevent premature death from cervical cancer it has to be team work involving UN agencies, governments, individuals, manufacturers, among others. This process has already started in the form of a five-year program, which is currently being run by the UN on Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control. Its goal is to build national cervical cancer control programs.

WHO believes that innovative technologies and strategies, access to diagnosis and early-stage treatment of cancer are required to prevent high death rates due to cervical and other forms of cancer.