Eliminating cervical cancer across the UK could save the economy £2.6 billion, new research finds
- An estimated 3,200 cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed in the UK every year – nine women every day. 99.8% of cervical cancer cases in the UK are caused by HPV, which means that nearly every case of cervical cancer is preventable[i]
- Since 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) has spearheaded a global call to action to eliminate cervical cancer, asking countries to reach targets on HPV vaccination, cervical screening and cervical cancer treatment by 2030 to set the world on track to elimination[ii] – a challenge recently taken up by the NHS in England, which has pledged to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040,[iii] but not yet adopted by administrations in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland
- Cervical cancer in the UK is currently associated with a lifetime cost of £208,086 per case according to a new report from the Office for Health Economics (OHE), funded by MSD – MSD and OHE now call on a commitment towards elimination to be made across the devolved nations to ensure the cumulative £2.6 billion saving can be realised by 2046 target date
LONDON, 24 January 2024 – The UK could save £2.6 billion by achieving the WHO global targets for cervical cancer by 2046, landmark new research reveals. Under its global call to action towards elimination, the WHO has set a target incidence of 4 cases of cervical cancer per 100,000 women, to be achieved by countries ensuring that 90% of girls receive human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination by age 15, 70% of women access cervical screening aged 35 and 45, and 90% of women with pre-cancer and invasive cancer are appropriately treated and managed.1 According to the new report – undertaken by OHE and fully funded by MSD – the UK is anticipated to hit these targets by 2046, which would lead to a 23% reduction in the socioeconomic burden of cervical cancer between 2023 and 2046. But authors warn that progress is not guaranteed, and call on governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to follow England’s lead in pledging to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 – thereby accelerating the path to elimination across the UK, and ensuring equality and consistency in the approach to elimination between the four nations.
The new research comes soon after NHS England’s November announcement that it would be pursuing the elimination of cervical cancer by 2040, noting the potential to save thousands of lives.3 The NHS Vaccination Strategy published in December puts England one step closer to elimination through a range of commitments to improve HPV vaccination coverage rates,[iv] although authors note there is still a long road to elimination: the latest Government statistics covering academic year 2021/22 show that HPV vaccination coverage rates in teenagers remain significantly below WHO targets,[v] while three in ten eligible women are not up-to-date with their cervical screening.[vi]
With cervical cancer rates in England currently 65% higher in the most deprived quintile compared with the least,1 authors call on English leaders to reinforce these initial steps with a concrete action plan to overcome barriers to access, education, and awareness of cervical cancer prevention across the whole prevention pathway. They also note that sufficient funding and resources must be maintained to support elimination. The report builds on existing recommendations from the HPV Coalition’s roadmap towards elimination of all HPV related cancers[vii] in proposing that the Government sets out a more targeted approach to screening, ensuring adequate protection for age groups who have not been eligible for vaccination and setting clear targets for underrepresented and vulnerable groups. Highlighting the current extent of health inequalities in access to HPV vaccination and cervical screening, the report recommends that health equity is put at the heart of national and local elimination implementation plans, along with the implementation of educational initiatives to drive progress in reducing stigma and confusion surrounding HPV by 2025, with a particular focus on more marginalised groups.
Crucially, the OHE points out that the 2040 commitment applies only to England, risking an elimination gap opening up between the English population and those living in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland – particularly, as the report notes, given already higher cervical cancer incidence rates in Scotland and Wales (11.7 per 100,000 and 11.0 per 100,000 respectively, in contrast to 9.5 per 100,000 in England).[viii] Authors note that the £2.6 billion saving, which does not include the cost of vaccination and screening, will not be realised without action in every nation to pursue cross-UK elimination by 2046 at the latest, and argue that a commitment to elimination must now be made by Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Gayathri Kumar, OHE Senior Economist who led the research, said:
“Eliminating cervical cancer in the UK will yield significant savings to the healthcare system, wider society and families. Our analysis shows that work productivity and informal care provided by women lost to premature mortality are the two largest components of the socioeconomic burden. A decisive implementation plan across all nations in the UK is needed to ensure momentum in screening and vaccination rates and to realise the socioeconomic benefit of cervical cancer elimination.”
Martin Hunt, Chief Executive at leading cervical cancer charity Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, said:
"As well as the significant physical and emotional impacts of cervical cancer, we know there are real financial consequences of this disease - for the woman, for her family and for the economy. This research shows that eliminating cervical cancer makes sense for the economy, and the sooner we reach this target, the better.
Achieving the elimination threshold sooner, across all four nations of the UK, will not only save lives, it will also save money, improve quality of life for the 3,200 women diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, and reduce pressure on an already overstretched NHS."
Ben Lucas, Managing Director, MSD UK & Ireland, who commissioned the research, said:
“At MSD, we are dedicated to inspiring country-wide action towards elimination by showcasing the success of areas already hitting WHO targets at the local and national levels. The OHE’s findings on the socioeconomic benefits of eliminating cervical cancer add even more impetus to the race to elimination, but we cannot forget the huge personal impact of this mission. The OHE rightly note the critical importance of overcoming existing inequalities in access to HPV vaccination and cervical screening if we are to make a success of elimination, and I am delighted to see the report set out recommendations on how elimination might work for every part of society.”
[i] Cancer Research UK, Cervical cancer statistics. Last accessed December 2023, available from: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/cervical-cancer#heading-Zero
[ii] World Health Organization, Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative. Last accessed December 2023, Available from: https://www.who.int/initiatives/cervical-cancer-elimination-initiative
[iii] NHS England, NHS sets ambition to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040, 15 November 2023. Last accessed December 2023, available from: https://www.england.nhs.uk/2023/11/nhs-sets-ambition-to-eliminate-cervical-cancer-by-2040/
[iv] NHS England, NHS Vaccination Strategy, December 2023. Last accessed December 2023, available from: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-vaccination-strategy/
[v] UK Health Security Agency, Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination coverage in adolescents in England: 2021 to 2022, December 2022. Last accessed December 2023, available from: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1126762/hpr1322-HPV2.pdf
[vi] NHS England, Women urged to take up NHS cervical screening invitations, November 2023. Last accessed December 2023, available from: https://www.england.nhs.uk/2023/11/women-urged-to-take-up-nhs-cervical-screening-invitations/
[vii] HPV Coalition, Roadmap towards making the elimination of cervical cancer a reality across the UK, May 2023. Last accessed January 2024, available from: https://www.jostrust.org.uk/sites/default/files/final_-_hpv_coalition_-_roadmap_to_elimination.pdf
[viii] Cancer Research UK, Cervical cancer incidence statistics. Last accessed December 2023, available from: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/cervical-cancer/incidence#heading-Zero
