Cervical cancer could be eliminated in N.B. in about a decade, says provincial oncologist
CBC
The rate of cervical cancer in New Brunswick is either holding steady or increasing slightly, depending on who you ask, but the head doctor with the New Brunswick Cancer Network and the Canadian Cancer Society both agree the disease could realistically be wiped out in little more than a decade.
The Canadian Cancer Society's latest annual statistical report showed the national cervical cancer rate has begun to increase significantly.
Following a 30-year decline, incidence has risen 3.7 per cent a year since 2015, representing the biggest jump for any type of cancer affecting females.
The latest projections for New Brunswick are 35 new cases a year and 10 deaths.
Dr. Eshwar Kumar of the New Brunswick Cancer Network said that's on par with the average number of new cases for the past 15 to 20 years.
If you look at some other statistics, however, New Brunswick is seeing a slight increase, said Heather Mulligan, manager of advocacy for the Canadian Cancer Society in Atlantic Canada.
For example, the age-adjusted rate per 100,000 females in the province is now 8.8 new cases a year, she said, up from 7.5 two years ago.
In 2021, cervical cancer was estimated to account for 1.2 per cent of all new female cancer cases in the province, she said, but the 2023 estimate creeped up to 1.3 per cent.
A variety of factors could be behind the increase, such as demographics, said Mulligan.
The human papilloma virus vaccine only came out in the 2000s, she noted.
It's now known that HPV, a sexually transmitted infection, causes virtually all cervical cancer, said Mulligan. (According to the Cancer Society, HPV is also linked to cancers of the penis, anus, vulva, vagina, mouth and throat.)
"The things that we have in place will hopefully reduce the risk considerably and hopefully eliminate it," said Kumar.
New Brunswick has a well-established HPV vaccination program. Immunization clinics are held in schools for all students in Grade 7.
Any females born since 1995 and males born since 2005 who missed getting the shot in school are still able to get it for free until the age of 27.
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