Preventing Cervical Cancer in Eastern Europe & Central Asia

Each year, more than 570,000 new cases of cervical cancer and 311,000 deaths from the disease occur globally; these numbers are predicted to increase to more than 700,000 new cases and 400,000 deaths per year by 2030. The vast majority of these new cases and deaths occur among disadvantaged women living in low-, lower-middle- and upper-middle-income countries, which generally lack the effective cervical cancer prevention programmes – namely, HPV vaccination and cervical screening – that are common in high-income countries. This brief explores the numbers in the UNFPA Eastern Europe and Central Asia region.