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HPV awareness could save thousands from cervical cancer in low-resource nations – report
A widespread lack of awareness of how a common virus is the primary cause of cervical cancer is leading to thousands of needless deaths every year, concludes a global report.
But embracing more advanced screening tools and the willingness of more women to self-collect health data could be pivotal in addressing the issue.
That is according to a study spanning 12 countries in Europe and Latin America commissioned by the pharmaceutical giant Roche.
Half of those polled had either limited or no awareness of the important role human papillomavirus (HPV) plays in cervical cancer.
HPV is a common virus transmitted through sexual contact and is the primary cause of cervical cancer, responsible for over 99 per cent of cases.
Every year, more than 600,000 women worldwide are diagnosed with cervical cancer and over 340,000 die, with nine in every ten of these women living in low-resource countries.
However, 93 per cent of cervical cancers could be prevented entirely through appropriate screening and HPV vaccination.
The research also demonstrates that with screening rates varying between regions, significant barriers continue to exist that are preventing women from seeking testing.
Respondents in all countries, including both developed and developing nations, reported that concerns about the testing procedure being painful were common – up to 63 per cent in some countries.
Also cited was a sense of discomfort about discussing their sexual history or sexuality with a healthcare provider – up to 57 per cent in some countries.
Joanna Sickler, vice-president, health policy and external affairs at Roche Diagnostics, said: “Thousands of women are needlessly dying from cervical cancer every year. This survey highlights some of the most important barriers to screening, as well as the opportunities we have to prevent disease and improve women’s health.
“With many women reporting being open to new screening tools like self-collection, it has never been more important that communities, health systems, governments and innovators come together to seize this opportunity, and provide the early detection and treatment needed to avoid so many preventable deaths.”
The World Health Organisation is focused on accelerating the elimination of cervical cancer globally, with its latest guidelines recommending HPV DNA testing as primary screening for all women.
Its strategy seeks to ensure that by 2030, 90 per cent of girls are fully vaccinated against HPV by age 15.
It also aims for 70 per cent of women to have been screened using a high-performance test by age 35, and again by age 45, with 90% of those eligible linked to treatment.
This, along with vaccination against HPV, could prevent more than 62 million deaths in the next 100 years.
More than 50 per cent of new cervical cancers occur in women who have never been screened, or have not been screened in the previous five years of their lives.
Many factors can contribute to individuals not participating in cervical cancer screening programs, such as access to healthcare, social and economic barriers, history of traumatic experience, cultural concerns and embarrassment.
The many barriers preventing women from seeking HPV screening could explain the widespread interest in self-testing revealed by the survey.
In European countries, where testing is more routinely available, 57 per cent of women were interested in the opportunity to collect their own samples for testing. This figure rose to 77 per cent in Latin American countries, where routine screening is less readily available because of a lack of infrastructure and available appointment means.
This discrepancy was also reflected in healthcare professional-reported results, which showed 72 per cent of healthcare professionals and government workers in Latin American countries agree their country needs a self-collection programme, compared to 48% in Europe.
Susana Wong, patient advocate and director of Lazo Rosado, Perú, is working to expand access to HPV testing in her country.
She said: “We know very well how to prevent and treat cervical cancer. Now, with HPV molecular tests and vaccination, there really is hope to eliminate this disease. This test gives you the opportunity to live and to live well with your family. It can help women to empower themselves as to their health.”
Men demonstrated even lower levels of awareness compared to women, particularly in Europe.
While 55 per cent to 76 per cent of men in Latin America reported some understanding of HPV, only 35 per cent to 51 per cent of men in Europe had any understanding of HPV at all.
The lower awareness among men highlights the need for educational initiatives to include men, given their potential role in the transmission and prevention of HPV, says the report.
“This survey highlights both the challenges ahead and the significant opportunities we have to advance HPV prevention,” Sickler said.
“By enhancing public education about HPV risks and reimagining how we deliver care, we can drive higher screening rates and make meaningful progress in combating cervical cancer.”
Fighting cervical cancer
Screening for HPV can help identify women who are at risk of developing cervical cancer, so that the disease can be treated early before invasive cancer has a chance to develop.
In poorer countries, women are often diagnosed with cervical cancer at a more advanced stage, where the opportunity for a cure is low.
Last mont, Roche joined the Global HPV Consortium which aims to advance cervical cancer prevention efforts and raise the prominence of early screening and timely detection using high-performance HPV-DNA tests.
Conducted in Q1 2024, the HPV Health Understanding Survey involved 8,703 men and women across 12 countries.
It also measured perceptions among 2,585 healthcare professionals (HCPs) and government professionals of HPV testing availability in their own market.
Housing, work and fertility pressures are stopping many Britons growing the families they want, new research suggests.
A UK fertility report found that 79 per cent of people surveyed who had tried to conceive in the past five years would like more children than they currently have.
Among parents with one child, that figure rises to 88 per cent.
The report surveyed more than 1,000 people across the UK who had tried for a baby in the past five years.
While birth rates continue to fall, the findings suggest it is not because people no longer want children. Instead, many respondents said external pressures are making it harder to grow their families.
The findings, from wellness brand Wild Nutrition’s Fertility Disconnect report, highlight how financial pressures, fertility struggles and gaps in reproductive health knowledge are shaping modern family life in the UK.
Gail Madalena, fertility nutritional therapist at Wild Nutrition, said: “People often assume fertility begins the moment they decide to try [for a baby].
“In reality, egg and sperm health are shaped months and years earlier.
“By the time someone starts thinking about fertility, their body has already been responding to its environment for a long time.”
Among the biggest barriers, 26 per cent said career progression affected their family plans, 25 per cent cited housing affordability and lack of space, and 52 per cent said they required medical intervention during their fertility journey.
The report also found that almost a quarter of respondents had spent more than two years trying to conceive.
Trying for a baby can take a significant toll on mental health and relationships, especially for those navigating fertility treatment.
According to the research, 38 per cent of respondents said trying to conceive had negatively affected their mental health. That figure rose to 99 per cent among people undergoing fertility treatment.
Julianne Boutaleb is a perinatal psychologist.
She said: “Navigating a fertility journey is about so much more than medical appointments and procedures.
“It’s an emotional marathon that can take a huge toll on your mental wellbeing.
“Sadly, the stats show that 15 per cent of couples going through fertility treatment say their relationship has been irrevocably impaired.”
The report also highlighted the realities of secondary infertility, which affects around one in 20 people, challenging the assumption that having one child means conceiving again will be straightforward.
Researchers found many people felt under-informed about fertility, particularly younger adults.
Ten per cent of Gen Z respondents said they “know nothing” about fertility, while only one in five respondents said they know “a lot” about egg health.
The report also found that 60 per cent of women were unaware of fertility testing options, and one in five Gen Z respondents said they felt uncomfortable discussing fertility, even with their partner.
Around 40 per cent of those surveyed supported fertility education being included in schools, covering topics such as egg health, sperm health and hormonal health.
The report also explored how lifestyle and long-term health may influence fertility outcomes.
Many respondents said they only made changes once they started trying to conceive.
Some 44 per cent improved their diet when trying for a baby, while 32 per cent reduced alcohol intake at that stage.
The report also referenced emerging research that suggests ultra-processed foods and microplastics could have an impact on reproductive health.
While fertility conversations often focus on women, the findings showed male fertility issues are also affecting many families.
Seventeen per cent of respondents cited sperm health issues as a barrier to conception, while male factors contribute to around half of all fertility challenges.
Only one in four men said they would share fertility struggles with friends.
“Many causes of male infertility are entirely treatable yet so often the last resort is the first response,” said Ian Stones, co-founder at Test Him Ltd.
The findings come as UK birth rates remain below replacement level.
The report noted that the UK fertility rate is now 1.41, meaning that on average women give birth to 1.41 children over their lifetimes. The replacement rate, or rate that maintains population numbers, is 2.1.
It also said the average age of mothers has risen to 31, while birth rates are falling across most age groups except among over-40s.
“There is no single fertility story, and it is rarely a simple, linear narrative,” said Dr Zeynep Gurtin, lecturer in women’s health at UCL.
Dr Gurtin added that better fertility education, fairer access to treatment and more open conversations around infertility and pregnancy loss are needed.
Femtech World is thrilled to reveal the shortlist for the Fertility Innovation Award.
The award, sponsored by FinDBest IVF, celebrates a pioneering product, service or initiative that is transforming fertility care and support.
FinDBest IVF is a global B2B digital platform created to simplify and accelerate how IVF and ART manufacturers connect with trusted, pre-vetted distributors around the world.
This year’s nominees represent a remarkable breadth of approaches to fertility care: from clinic-floor breakthroughs to at-home hormone intelligence to truly borderless access.
Three companies made the cut, with each tackling a real, persistent barrier in reproductive health.
Congratulations to the shortlist and many thanks to everyone who entered.
Fertility Innovation Award Shortlist
HRC Fertility’s Needle-Free IVF is a pioneering advancement designed to transform one of the most challenging aspects of fertility treatment: daily hormone injections.
Developed by board-certified reproductive endocrinologist Dr Rachel Mandelbaum, this innovative approach reimagines how stimulation medications are delivered during IVF and egg freezing, dramatically improving the patient experience while maintaining the same trusted clinical outcomes.
Inspired by feedback from patients who struggled with the injection process, Dr Mandelbaum adapted an innovative drug-delivery system commonly used in other areas of medicine and applied it to reproductive care
Mira is a hormonal health technology company that provides lab-grade hormone testing and AI-driven insights to help women and couples understand their fertility.
The platform has already supported more than 200,000 couples on their fertility journeys worldwide, helping over 60,000+ users achieve pregnancy.
For some users, pregnancy rates have reached up to 89 per cent within six months, demonstrating how accurate hormone data can significantly improve fertility outcomes.
Founded in 2021 by Marija Skujina, a Certified Fertility Nurse Specialist accredited by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, with nearly 15 years of clinical experience at one of the world’s top IVF clinics, and having navigated her own fertility journey as a patient, Marija built the clinic she had always wished existed.
Plan Your Baby began with a bold, but simple mission – make best quality fertility and pregnancy available anywhere.
Plan Your Baby has created a new generation fertility and pregnancy clinic with patients accessing expert consultations remotely, while blood tests and ultrasound scans are available at over 450 locations across the UK, eliminating the exhausting travel burden that often forces people to take days off work, relocate appointments, or abandon treatment altogether
What happens now
The shortlist will be judged by a representative from category sponsor FindBestIVF, with the winner announced at a virtual event on June 19.
Winners will receive a trophy and be interviewed by a Femtech World journalist.
A common cholesterol drug could help weaken a fluid shield that helps ovarian cancer tumours survive, early lab findings suggest.
The findings do not show the drug treats ovarian cancer. But they suggest changing the environment the cancer depends on could make it more vulnerable to existing treatment.
A federally funded study at Duke University School of Medicine found that ascites, a build-up of fluid in the abdomen, may do more than cause discomfort.
Doctors can drain ascites to ease pain, improve mobility and make breathing easier, but the fluid may also help cancer cells survive and spread. It occurs in 90 per cent of people with advanced ovarian cancer.
According to the study, ascites acts as a shield, helping cancer cells evade ferroptosis, a form of cell death.
Ferroptosis is a kind of cellular rusting. It happens when iron inside a cell reacts with certain fats, causing the cell membrane to break apart.
Many metastatic cancer cells, meaning cells that float freely through the abdomen looking for new places to grow, are naturally vulnerable to this kind of damage.
“Doctors have mostly viewed ascites as a symptom rather than an active driver of disease,” said Jen-Tsan Chi, professor in the department of molecular genetics and microbiology and co-leader of the Cancer Biology Program at the Duke Cancer Institute.
“We’ve learned it gives cancer a survival advantage, which fills a major gap in understanding how ovarian cancer spreads.”
Scientists bathed cancer cell lines and patient-derived tumour cells in ascites collected from patients and watched how they responded to ferroptosis triggers.
The fluid protected cancer cells by changing how they store fats and control iron levels, effectively blocking cell death.
The protection required only trace amounts, with as little as 2 per cent immersion shielding cancer cells from destruction.
“What surprised us was how selective this effect was,” said Yasaman Setayeshpour, first author and graduate student in molecular genetics and microbiology at Duke School of Medicine.
“Ascites didn’t protect the cancer cells from other well-known types of cell death, like apoptosis or necrosis, it only blocked ferroptosis.
“To figure out why, we broke ascites down into major parts, like lipids, proteins, and small molecules, and tested what happened when each was removed.
“When we took the lipids out, the protective effect disappeared. That told us lipids are the key reason ascites helps these cancer cells survive.”
But researchers found an unexpected helper in bezafibrate, an older cholesterol drug used to lower triglycerides by altering how the body processes fats.
The cholesterol drug restored sensitivity to ferroptosis, but only when ascites was present. On its own, the drug did not trigger cell death or slow tumour growth in mice.
The drug’s impact depended on the cancer’s surroundings, in this case the fat-rich fluid bathing the tumour. Researchers found that targeting this environment, using repurposed drugs like bezafibrate, could leave cancer cells more exposed to existing cancer treatments.
Chi said the finding could have implications beyond ovarian cancer. Other cancers, including colorectal and pancreatic cancers, can also spread within the abdominal cavity.
“This work shows how much the environment around a tumour matters,” Chi said.
“Biological fluids like ascites don’t just give cancer cells a place to move. They actively help drive how cancer spreads.”
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