Subject: Capacity building
Subject: Cervical screening
Subject: Central Asia
Subject: Eastern Europe
Subject: HPV vaccination
Year: 2023
Type: Article
Title: HPV Vaccination and Cervical Cancer Screening Policies and Practices in 18 Countries, Territories and Entities across Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Author: Davies, Philip
Author: Aluloski, Igor
Author: Aluloski, Diyora
Author: Brcanski, Jelena
Author: Davidzenka, Aliaksandr
Author: Durdyeva, Akjemal
Author: Gayrat Umarzoda, Saida
Author: Goshliyev, Kemal
Author: Jovanovic, Verica
Author: Jugeli, Levan
Author: Kocinaj-Berisha, Merita
Author: Maistruk, Galina
Author: Naumovic, Tamara
Author: Pilav, Aida
Author: Rzayeva, Gulnara
Author: Saribekyan, Karine
Author: Siljak, Sladjana
Author: Ten, Elena
Author: Valuta, Diana
Author: Veljkovic, Marko
Author: Yildirimkaya, Gokhan
Author: Ylli, Alban
Author: Zhylkaidarova, Alma
Author: Melnic, Eugen
Abstract: Abstract Background: To assess readiness to achieve the WHO Global Strategy targets for HPV vaccination and cervical screening and to guide capacity building, the current status of these services in 18 Eastern European and Central Asian countries, territories and entities (CTEs) was evaluated. Methods: In order to assess the current status of HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening in these 18 CTEs, a 30 question survey tool was developed, covering: national policies, strategies and plans for cervical cancer prevention; status of cancer registration; status of HPV vaccination; and current practices for cervical cancer screening and treatment of precancerous lesions. As cervical cancer prevention comes within the mandate of the United Nations Fund for Population Development (UNFPA), the UNFPA offices in the 18 CTEs have regular contact with national experts who are directly involved in cervical cancer prevention actions and are well placed to provide the data required for this survey. Working through the UNFPA offices, the questionnaires were sent to these national experts in April 2021, with data collected from April to July 2021. All CTEs returned completed questionnaires. Results: Only Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, North Macedonia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have implemented national HPV vaccination programs, with only the last 2 of these reaching the WHO target of 90% of girls fully vaccinated by age 15, while rates in the other 4 range from 8%-40%. Cervical screening is available in all CTEs but only Belarus and Turkmenistan have reached the WHO target of 70% of women screened once by age 35 and again by age 45, while rates elsewhere range from 2%-66%. Only Albania and Turkey follow the WHO recommendation to use a high-performance screening test, while the majority use cervical cytology as the main screening test and Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan use visual inspection. No CTEs currently operate systems to coordinate, monitor and quality assure (QA) the entire cervical screening process. Conclusions: Cervical cancer prevention services in this region are very limited. Achieving the WHO Global Strategy targets by 2030 will require substantial investments in capacity building by international development organizations.
Publisher:
Relation: Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP
Identifier: oai:repository.ukim.mk:20.500.12188/28694
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12188/28694Identifier: 10.31557/APJCP.2023.24.5.1781
Identifier: 24
Identifier: 5
