Challenges and possible solutions towards reaching global cervical cancer elimination

Cervical cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality among women, despite being largely preventable through Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, HPV screening, and treatment. The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for global elimination of cervical cancer. While progress has been made in the worldwide implementation of preventive measures, the global uptake (particularly of HPV-based screening) lags behind. However, a major advance is the increased supply of HPV vaccines, propelled partly by the shift to one-dose vaccine schedules, which presents new opportunities for faster cervical cancer elimination using expanded HPV vaccination strategies such as gender-neutral vaccination, catch-up vaccination, and concomitant vaccination and screening. Another major advance is the WHO target product profile that specifies that only the 8 most important types of HPV must be screened for, which greatly improves the specificity and feasibility of HPV-based screening. This article outlines the key challenges, highlights successful examples of innovative strategies, and proposes evidence-based next steps, including specific actions on global prioritization, real-time monitoring, innovation, and equity-driven action.