Cervical cancer rates show a 'concerning plateau,' according to new Canadian Cancer Society data

After decades of decline, rates of cervical cancer within Canada have plateaued, according to the Canadian Cancer Society — a troubling trend for some experts, given that the type of cancer is preventable.

Between 1984 and 2005, rates of cervical cancer had been dropping steadily. But a report published Monday by the Canadian Cancer Statistics Advisory Committee shows a plateau in the annual percentage change for cervical cancer rates, which is just under zero for the period from 2005 to 2021.

"Cervical cancer is not one of the most common causes of cancer death for females in Canada, but each one of the 430 deaths expected in 2025 due to this cancer was potentially preventable," the report said.

Cervical cancer is widely preventable through vaccinating against and screening for human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection which causes this type of cancer, as well as some head and neck cancers.

The World Health Organization has pledged to virtually eliminate cervical cancer within the century by reducing rates to fewer than four cases diagnosed per 100,000 females, while Canada has set a goal to eliminate it within the country by 2040.

"If things continue as they are now, we're not going to make that timeline," said Brandon Purcell, advocacy manager of prevention and early detection with the Canadian Cancer Society.

The data shows a "concerning plateau" according to the news release for the report. The Canadian Cancer Society's director of surveillance Jennifer Gillis says it's likely due to lower HPV vaccination rates, a decline in the rate of people getting screened, and gaps in follow-up care.

It’s disappointing news to Shannon Pethick, who was diagnosed with cervical cancer at the age of 32 and went through extensive radiation and chemotherapy treatments to fight it.

"It's one of the hardest things I've ever gone through, and I'm grateful that I came out the other side … but I wouldn't wish what I went through on anybody," Pethick said.

Despite the discomfort that comes with a pap smear — a test that's widely used to test for abnormal, possibly cancerous cells in the cervix — Pethick urges women not to put screenings or other prevention methods off, given the possibly dire consequences.

"I think if people understood the consequences of not having those tests, of not having those vaccines … I don't think we would be here," Pethick said. "The minor inconvenience … of that pap is just so minuscule compared to what you could be going through if you're not checking that."

She also hopes that more education might make women more aware of the options they have for prevention and testing.

Purcell says Canada could get back on track to meet its 2040 elimination goals if it adopted policies to boost vaccination, increase access screening and adopt HPV testing rather than pap testing for cervical cancer.

Dr. Amanda Selk, an obstetrician gynecologist at Women's College Hospital in Toronto, says she’s not surprised by the report's findings as she’s seen screening decrease in recent years as people have had less access to their doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and more Canadians find themselves without a family doctor. She says we need to find "new ways to get people screened that don't involve a family doctor," be it through nurse-run clinics or at-home testing.