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Awareness weeks guide

Cervical Cancer Awareness Week

Cervical Cancer Awareness Week

Cervical Cancer Awareness Week (13-19 November 2023) is the Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation’s (ACCF) annual flagship communication campaign across Australia.

Campaign objectives:

Put cervical cancer, and available prevention options, on the public radar

Highlight the continuity of protection against cervical cancer that is available to Australians with:

  • vaccination now funded for anyone with a cervix up to and including those 25 years, and
  • cervical screening recommended from 25–74 years.

Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation

UpToDate

General

Screening

Society guideline links

Treatment

Cochrane Library

Articles

Prevention and Risks

Screening

Research

Treatment

E-books

E-journals

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Articles

Prevention and Risks

HPV Vaccination and the risk of invasive Cervical Cancer
Among Swedish girls and women 10 to 30 years old, quadrivalent HPV vaccination was associated with a substantially reduced risk of invasive cervical cancer at the population level. NEJM 1 October 2020

Risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 or more diagnoses for human papillomavirus16/18-positive women by cytology and co-infection status
In this cross-sectional study of HPV 16/18-positive women, the effects of multiple infection were likely complicated and varied with specific HPV genotypes. The coinfection of HPV 16 and other genotypes of HPV except HPV 18 was associated with decreased CIN 3 + risk. Cytologic results were informative when HPV 16/18 was positive. It might be reasonable to recommend expedited treatment for patients with HPV 16/18 positive and HSIL + cytology in the Chinese population. Infectious agents and cancer 9 October 2023

Human papillomavirus infection associated with cervical cancer and other malignancies
Human papillomavirus (HPV) consists in a great clinical importance worldwide, being involved in the most frequent sexually transmitted viral infection, genital warts, with high incidence in both men and women. Furthermore, HPV can also develop a broad spectrum of cancers, the most common is cervical cancer, being one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in women worldwide, especially in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Here we discuss the importance of cervical cancer prevention and others related cancers caused by HPV, information about HPV vaccines, evaluation of single-dose use, low vaccination coverage, as well as other topics regarding viral transmission, biology, and epidemiology, aiming for the reduction of cervical carcinoma cases and others HPV associated diseases, reducing infections and death in the world as regarding to HPV, through the wide people immunization. GSC Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences 22 October 2023

Risk factors for human papillomavirus infection, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer: an umbrella review and follow-up Mendelian randomisation studies
The main analysis supported the association of systemic (HIV infection, immunosuppressive medications) and local immunosuppression (altered vaginal microbiota) with increased risk for worse HPV and cervical disease outcomes. Mendelian randomisation confirmed the link for genetically predicted lifetime smoking index, and young age at first pregnancy with cervical cancer, highlighting also that observational evidence can hide different inherent biases. This evidence strengthens the need for more frequent HPV screening in people with immunosuppression, further investigation of the vaginal microbiome and access to sexual health services. BMC medicine 27 July 2023

Failure to follow up abnormal test results associated with cervical cancer in primary and ambulatory care: a systematic review
This review describes inadequate follow-up of abnormal cervical abnormalities in primary care. Prevalence varied and the evidence about causal factors is unclear. Most interventions evaluated were effective in decreasing inadequate follow-up. Examples of effective interventions were appointment reminders via telephone, direct notification of laboratory results, and HPV self-sampling. Even though rates of cervical cancer have decreased over the years, there is a lack of information on factors affecting follow-up in primary care and ambulatory settings, particularly in low and middle-income countries. This information is crucial if we are to achieve WHO’s interim targets by 2030, and hope to avert 62 million cervical cancer deaths by 2120. BMC Cancer 12 July 2023

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Screening

Self‐collection cervical screening in the renewed National Cervical Screening Program: a qualitative study
The known: The renewed National Cervical Screening Program includes a new clinician‐supported self‐collection pathway, but its acceptability among practitioners and participants is unknown.
The new: Self‐collection was highly acceptable to most screening participants and practitioners. However, key implementation barriers, including difficulty in identifying eligible screening participants and interpreting guidelines, reduced the capacity of primary care providers to offer self‐collection.
The implications: In order to realise the full potential of the self‐collection pathway to reduce the burden of cervical cancer, systems and resources are needed that help practitioners and their practices identify underscreened women and provide adequate support for completing the pathway. MJA 28 June 2021

Cervical screening reminders for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in primary care—Randomised controlled trial of letter vs. Phone/SMS reminders
Response to reminders was lower than expected. While there was no significant difference in effectiveness in letter vs. phone call/SMS for cervical screening recalls, reminder systems, including opportunistic reminders, can play a role in encouraging women to participate in screening programs in conjunction with national screening registers. The choice of reminder type should be left to service and consumer preference. International journal of environmental research and public health 29 June 2023

Cervical Cancer screening; A review
Approximately 100 000 people are treated for cervical precancer each year in the US to prevent cervical cancer. People with a cervix should be screened with HPV testing, and if HPV-positive, genotyping and cytology testing should be performed to assess the risk of cervical precancer and determine the need for colposcopy or treatment. HPV vaccination in adolescence will likely prevent more than 90% of cervical precancers and cancers. JAMA 8 August 2023

Association between Cervical Cancer screening guidelines and preterm delivery among females aged 18 to 24 years
Findings of this cross-sectional study suggest that additional recommended cervical cancer screenings before birth were associated with an increased risk of preterm delivery (PTD). These results can be used in future simulation models integrating oncological trade-offs to help ascertain optimal screening strategies. JAMA 21 July 2023

Detection of cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions and assessing diagnostic performance of colposcopy among women with oncogenic HPV
HPV screening tests may improve cervical cancer risk stratification and better guide decisions about follow-up with colposcopy/biopsy. This study aimed to estimate the risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN2+) among women with oncogenic HPV types and evaluate the performance of colposcopy in the diagnosis of histologic CIN2 +. BMC women’s health 4 August 2023

DNA methylation as a triage marker for colposcopy referral in HPV-based cervical cancer screening: a systematic review and meta-analysis
This meta-analysis confirmed the great potential of DNA methylation-based biomarkers as triage tool for hrHPV-positive women in cervical cancer screening. Standardization and improved validation are, however, required. Clinical epigenetics 2 August 2023

Changes in knowledge and awareness for a community-based cancer screening educational program
A community-based educational program culturally and linguistically tailored help increase knowledge and awareness about cervical, colorectal, and breast cancer screening, and promote positive changes in population’s knowledge and awareness about the benefits of cancer screening. Future cancer screening educational programs in similar populations are warranted to reduce the risk of cervical, colorectal, and breast cancer. Archives of public health 12 July 2023

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Research

Overall and Cervical Cancer survival in patients with and without mental disorders
Findings of this cohort study suggest that patients with cervical cancer and a preexisting diagnosis of a mental disorder have worse overall and cervical cancer–specific survival than patients without a preexisting mental disorder diagnosis, which may be partly attributable to cancer and sociodemographic characteristics at diagnosis. Hence, individuals with mental disorders deserve special attention in the tertiary prevention of cervical cancer. JAMA 23 September 2023

Gynaecological cancer resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women: A resource audit
This study highlighted a need for the development of resources relating to a wider range of gynaecological cancer types and different stages of the cancer care continuum for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. Health promotion journal of Australia 26 October 2023

Use of virus genotypes in machine learning diagnostic prediction models for Cervical Cancer in women with high-risk Human Papillomavirus Infection
This diagnostic study found that inclusion of HPV genotypes markedly improved the ability of a stacking model to predict cervical cancer among women who tested positive for hrHPV infection. This prediction model may be an important tool for screening and monitoring cervical cancer, particularly in low-resource settings. JAMA 2 August 2023

The effect of albumin and hemoglobin levels on the prognosis of early-stage cervical cancer: a prospective, single-center–based cohort study
Patients with hypoproteinemia and anemia in early-stage cervical cancer are more likely to have higher tumor stage, larger tumor size, pelvic lymph node metastasis (PLNM), lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) and deep stromal invasion. In addition, patients with hypoproteinemia and anemia have a poorer prognosis than those without the condition. Therefore, it is of great significance to detect the Serum albumin (ALB) and hemoglobin (HGB) levels of patients and improve the nutritional status of patients in a timely manner for better prognosis of cervical cancer. BMC women’s health 24 October 2023

Preoperative prediction of cervical cancer survival using a high-resolution MRI-based radiomics nomogram
This  nomogram incorporating a combination of radiological features demonstrated good performance in predicting cervical cancer overall survival (OS). This study highlights the potential of radiomics analysis in improving survival prediction for cervical cancer patients. However, further studies on a larger scale and external validation cohorts are necessary to validate its potential clinical utility. BMC medical imaging 11 October 2023

Regulatory T cell frequency in peripheral blood of women with advanced cervical Cancer including women living with HIV
Higher Tregs frequency was significantly associated with cervical cancer highlighting the immunosuppressive role of Tregs in cervical cancer. Treg frequency was more strongly associated with cervical cancer than HIV infection. We provide baseline data for monitoring Treg frequencies in response to new preventive and therapeutic strategies in the management of cervical cancer. BMC Cancer 6 September 2023

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Treatment

Survival with Cemiplimab in recurrent Cervical Cancer
Survival was significantly longer with cemiplimab than with single-agent chemotherapy among patients with recurrent cervical cancer after first-line platinum-containing chemotherapy. NEJM 10 February 2022

Pembrolizumab for persistent, recurrent, or metastatic Cervical Cancer
Progression-free and overall survival were significantly longer with pembrolizumab than with placebo among patients with persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer who were also receiving chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab. NEJM 11 November 2021

A meta-analysis of treatment for early-stage cervical cancer: open versus minimally invasive radical trachelectomy
This meta-analysis suggested that the fertility result of the Open group may be better than the MIS group, while the MIS group has better surgery-related outcomes. Owing to the poor cases of our study, a more robust conclusion requires more relevant articles in the future. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 14 October 2023

Salvage radiotherapy strategy and its prognostic significance for patients with locoregional recurrent cervical cancer after radical hysterectomy: a multicenter retrospective 10-year analysis
Locoregional recurrent cervical cancer treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT)-based salvage therapy has a good prognosis. Recurrence site and systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) were independent prognostic factors. Regional RT may be a better option for patients with locoregional recurrent. BMC cancer 23 September 2023

Definitive irradiation as a first treatment strategy for primary and metastatic sites of newly diagnosed IVB cervical cancer that presented with synchronous oligometastases
Definitive irradiation for both primary and oligo-metastatic sites for selected IVB patients is a feasible treatment strategy. Metastatic type, number of metastatic sites, and pre-treatment tumor diameter were significant prognostic factors. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the lymph nodal metastatic type (supraclavicular or inguinal), and number of lymphatic metastatic sites failed to reach statistical significance as prognostic factors. Radiation oncology 26 September 2023

Successful neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus sintilimab for locally advanced cervical cancer: case series and review of the literature
This report provide evidence to support the combination of sintilimab with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in cervical cancer, which has yet to be validated in prospective studies. More clinical data are needed to verify the effectiveness of the combined regimens. This literature review also collected studies involving potential predictors of response to NACT and immunotherapy, which would be helpful in stratifying patients for future trials. Diagnostic pathology 26 September 2023

Radical Hysterectomy or Total Mesometrial Resection—Two anatomical concepts for surgical treatment of Cancer of the Uterine Cervix
The present article aims to describe and compare the anatomical and surgical basics of a radical hysterectomy (type C1/C2) and total mesometrial resection. Cancers 5 November 2023

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E-books

This is just a sample of the e-books the library subscribes to – you will need your library login

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E-Journals

This is just a sample of the journals the library subscribes to – you will need your library login

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