University of Queensland

Researchers at the University of Queensland Diamantina Institute have confirmed through a study in Vanuatu that a test for human papilloma virus (HPV) could help control cervical cancer in developing countries.

Early detection has proven essential in controlling cervical cancer risk in developed countries where screening programs have reduced the prevalence of the disease by about 75%. Yet cervical cancer remains the second most common cancer in women and causes approximately 275,000 deaths worldwide each year. Due to severely limited access to adequate screening, the brunt of this mortality will be borne by women in developing countries where more than 80% of new cases occur each year.