From Mark Einstein, MD, MS, on behalf of the SGO Cervical Cancer Elimination Task Force
The WHO has renewed its efforts and goals for the Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative, which calls all countries to reach a cervical cancer incidence rate of below four per 100,000 women in order to eliminate cervical cancer.
Achieving that goal rests on three key pillars and their corresponding targets:
- Vaccination: 90% of girls fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by the age of 15
- Screening: 70% of women screened using a high-performance test by the age of 35, and again by the age of 45
- Treatment: 90% of women with pre-cancer treated and 90% of women with invasive cancer managed
SGO leadership has initiated a Cervical Cancer Elimination Task Force, led by cervical cancer experts and SGO members Wendy Brewster, MD, and Mark Einstein, MD. The task force is made up of a multidisciplinary group of SGO members with an overall goal of cervical cancer eradication.
As the treatment experts in the US, SGO members involved in the task force will focus on treatment access, quality, and expansion in the US and globally. We will work with other medical societies, advocacy groups, and government officials and offices to push the bar in our domestic and global comprehensive prevention and treatment efforts in cervical cancer elimination.
In addition, the task force will update educational materials and generate communications (including white papers) that focus on cervical cancer treatment and management, including palliative care. We will work with a number of SGO committees to promote the campaign efforts and deliverables.
All SGO members are invited to help with the efforts of the task force. Take action by amplifying task force messages locally and regionally to your providers and local influencers in media and government.
We are the primary treatment providers of cervical cancer in the US and will lead eradication efforts until we never have to care for another patient suffering from cervical cancer again.