Combatting Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women around the world. It is also highly preventable through human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, alongside screening and treatment. Despite this, around the world, someone dies every two minutes from the disease and today, more women are dying from cervical cancer than maternal mortality. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are disproportionately affected by cervical cancer; approximately 90% of cases and deaths occur in these countries. The burden is increasing, and without immediate action, cervical cancer mortality is expected to rise by 50% by 2050.

Cervical cancer is a global challenge that no single scientist, institution or country can tackle alone. At CRUK, we believe that our role in establishing the link between HPV and cervical cancer, as well as our ongoing expertise, puts us in a strong position to accelerate global progress.

In 2020, the World Health Organization launched a global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem. That same year, CRUK started supporting organisations in LMICs to prevent cervical cancer. By collaborating with in-country partners to fill knowledge gaps and drive progress, we are supporting the introduction and effectiveness of national HPV vaccination programmes. In doing so, we aim to ensure that more adolescent girls receive potentially life-saving protection from cervical cancer.

Our programmes

Through our grant programmes, CRUK supports organisations to deliver high-impact projects that aim to increase HPV vaccination coverage among adolescent girls in LMICs. We are currently supporting the following organisations and projects:

Coalition Health Zambia in partnership with Teal Sisters Foundation.

Together for Her: Equity in HPV vaccination for Zambia’s Forgotten Girls (EQUIVAX) Project. 2026-2028.

Clinical Research Education and Management Services (CREAMS), Malawi.

Leaving No One Behind: Strengthening Equitable HPV Vaccination Coverage in Malawi. 2026-2028.

Crown Agents Zimbabwe.

Advancing equitable HPV vaccination and cervical cancer prevention for adolescent girls in Zimbabwe. 2026-2028.

Solina Health Nigeria.

HPV vaccination multi-year policy research and advocacy grant. 2023-2027.

African Cervical Health Alliance (ACHA) and Kilele Health Association (ACHA Secretariat).

Equipping civil society with policy advocacy tools to shape sustainable HPV Vaccination for a cervical cancer free Africa. 2024-2026.

Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) Eswatini.

Integrating HPV vaccine into routine immunization of adolescents living with HIV: Eliminating vaccine stigma by improving demand creation, and strengthening healthcare workers’ capacity. 2024-2026.

Nepal Fertility Care Centre (NFCC) and Nepal Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (NESOG).

HPV Advocacy, Capacity Building and Awareness Raising in Nepal. 2024-2026.

Our partnerships

I-PaRCS:

With CRUK’s support, I-PaRCS (an initiative co-led by the Cancer Elimination Collaboration at the University of Sydney and the IARC Initiative for Resilience in Cancer Control) have developed the cervical cancer Elimination Planning Tool. This is a freely-accessible interactive tool which enables policymakers, researchers and advocates to explore the impact of different cervical cancer services in their chosen country, helping LMICs build their path towards eliminating cervical cancer as a public health problem.

American Cancer Society (ACS)

India has the highest national burden of cervical cancer cases in the world. In partnership with ACS, CRUK is supporting healthcare workers in India to recommend the HPV vaccine. Employing an evidence-based approach, our programme will provide knowledge and skill development to boost healthcare workers’ ability to give direction on the HPV vaccine, and to create a supportive environment to inform parental decisions.