Building on cervical screening evidence ahead of program shift
After informing major changes to Australia’s National Cervical Screening Program last year, Cancer Council NSW researchers have added to the body of evidence in support of the renewed program in 2017. The findings further underpin the Australian Government’s decision to transition to primary HPV screening. The renewed program is estimated to reduce cervical cancer rates and mortality by at least 20%.
Background
Australia’s National Cervical Screening Program is changing in December 2017. Cervical screening will transition from two-yearly Pap tests to five-yearly HPV tests, starting at age 25 (rather than 18-20). HPV – the human papillomavirus – is the cause of the vast majority of cervical cancers and testing for it, rather than abnormal cells as the Pap test does, will enable detection of cervical cancer at a much earlier stage. The new test is just as safe and more effective and accurate.
The research
- This year, an overview of the Cancer Council NSW research that informed the Australian Government’s recommendations for the renewed cervical screening program was published in The Lancet Public Health.
- The team also examined trends in cervical cancer incidence across age groups. The research confirmed that using the Pap test to screen women under 25 has not reduced cancer rates in this age group, supporting the safety of the new recommendation to start screening at 25.
- The team’s research also looked to the future, by informing decision-making about the next generation HPV vaccine, and considering how cervical screening can be optimised in the future context of this new vaccine.
The impact
This research has directly informed aspects of the implementation of the renewed cervical cancer screening program. The way the team communicated their research to the public further reassured the community that the renewed program is fantastic news. Australia will continue to take the lead in cervical cancer prevention, ensuring it will be one of the first nations to implement large-scale changes to cervical screening as a response to the implementation of HPV vaccination. The team has also received a grant from the National Cancer Institute USA to collaborate with other leading groups to evaluate cervical cancer prevention in the USA.
Compass, the world-first trial of cervical screening in an HPV-vaccinated population, will further increase our knowledge of the new program – Cancer Council NSW researchers are collaborating with the Victorian Cytology Service to recruit 120,000+ women to the trial. Compass will provide critical information about cervical screening in our population, and will provide data to other countries grappling with the challenges of optimising cervical screening.
Research team
Professor Karen Canfell
Cancer Council NSW
Megan Smith
Jie Bin Lew
Dr Kate Simms
Jessica Darlington-Brown
Dr Michael Caruana
Michaela Hall
Suzanne Hughes
Harriet Hui
Chloe Jennett
Dr Yoon Jung Kang
Dr Louiza Velentzis
Susan Yuill
James Killen
Leanne Rumlee