Denmark could eradicate cervical cancer by 2040: study

A cervix self-screening kit is a part of the first self-screening cervical cancer plan in Canada, in Vancouver, B.C., Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

Copenhagen, Denmark — Denmark aims to eradicate cervical cancer by 2040 thanks to a national HPV vaccination campaign and screening programme, the Danish Cancer Society said on Monday.

“Even before 2040, so few women may have the disease that it may be considered eradicated,” the Danish Cancer Society said in a statement.

“It would be the first time a cancer has disappeared,” it said.

The current cervical cancer rate in Denmark is lower than 10 out of 100,000 women, according to a study in the Danish medical journal Ugeskrift for Laeger.

According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) criteria, the disease would be considered eradicated when there is an incidence rate lower than four per 100,000 women.

In Denmark, the vaccination rate against human papillomavirus (HPV), the main cause of the disease, is 89 per cent for girls and boys aged 12, for the first of two doses.

That’s just shy of the 90 per cent goal.

The free vaccine was introduced for girls in 2008-2009 and for boys in 2019.

In addition, 60 per cent of women in Denmark accept the offer of free screenings, slightly lower than the 70 per cent participation target.

Neighbouring Sweden could however beat Denmark to the post: it aims to eradicate cervical cancer by 2027, according to the Regional Cancer Centres in Sweden.