Australia Set to Eliminate Cervical Cancer by 2035

Australia is about to do something no country has ever done before: eliminate an entire type of cancer.

Thanks to a vaccine developed at the University of Queensland in 2006 and a screening system rebuilt from the ground up, Australia is on track to eliminate cervical cancer by 2035. The World Health Organization says that's a first for any cancer, anywhere.

The results speak for themselves. Since 1982, both new cases and deaths from cervical cancer in Australia have dropped by half. In 2021, something remarkable happened: for the first time ever, not a single woman under 25 was diagnosed with cervical cancer.

Australia became the first country to launch a national HPV vaccination program in 2007, right after the Gardasil vaccine was developed. HPV causes cervical cancer, which is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide. The program expanded to include boys in 2013, since they can carry and transmit the virus without developing the cancer themselves.

The screening side got a major upgrade too. In 2017, Australia replaced traditional pap smears with a more sensitive HPV test that only needs to happen every five years instead of every two. Recently, women gained the option to collect their own samples at home, removing barriers for those who find pelvic exams difficult or live far from medical facilities.

Professor Karen Canfell, an epidemiologist who helped chart the elimination path with WHO, put it plainly: "It's the first time that the WHO, and globally, we've said we're going to eliminate a cancer. That's actually a new concept for cancer."

Australia currently has 6.3 new cases per 100,000 women. The WHO defines elimination as fewer than four cases per 100,000. With vaccination rates above 80 percent for girls under 15 and 85 percent of women in critical age groups getting screened, the country is closing in fast.

The Ripple Effect

Australia's success is lighting the way for others. Sweden and Rwanda have both set targets to eliminate cervical cancer by 2027. The United Kingdom is aiming for 2040 and working to boost vaccination and screening rates that had recently declined.

Australia is also using public funding and philanthropy to help neighboring countries like Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea pursue their own elimination goals. The blueprint is there, proven and ready to adapt.

The progress hasn't been even across all communities. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women still face cervical cancer rates twice the national average and are three times more likely to die from the disease. Researchers have identified the gaps: vaccine hesitancy following COVID-19, rising medical costs, and missed school vaccinations without organized follow-up. On current trends, elimination for Indigenous communities is projected 12 years later than the national target.

Dr. Natalie Strobel, who specializes in disease prevention in Indigenous communities, notes that these cancers are often detected at later stages. The work to close that gap continues, with the same determination that brought the country this far.

A cancer that has affected women and families for generations is now, in at least one country, within reach of disappearing entirely.