Cervical cancer: Senegal faces the 90-70-90 challenge to accelerate elimination by 2030

Vaccinating 90% of girls before the age of 15, screening 70% of women, and treating 90% of those diagnosed: Senegal aims to accelerate the fight against cervical cancer. At a conference, specialists called for translating scientific advances into concrete actions accessible to all women.

Cervical cancer is at the heart of a now clearly established global objective: the 90-70-90 target. This roadmap rests on three pillars: preventing human papillomavirus (HPV) infection through vaccination, early detection of precancerous lesions, and ensuring rapid and effective care for affected women. It is within this context that the 5th National Congress and 4th International Congress of the Senegalese Society of Colposcopy are being held, under the theme: "On the Road to Accelerating the Elimination of Cervical Cancer."

For Dr. Madjiguene Ba, the representative of the company in question, the challenge is no longer simply knowing what to do. "Even though we now have the means to prevent, detect and treat this disease, the WHO has given us a clear roadmap through the 90-70-90 targets," she reminded.

90-70-90: vaccinate, screen, treat

The first objective is to vaccinate 90% of girls against HPV, the main risk factor for cervical cancer, before the age of 15. The second aims to screen 70% of women using a high-performance test to detect lesions early. The third stipulates that 90% of women diagnosed with cervical disease receive appropriate care.

For the specialists gathered in Dakar, the challenge now is to accelerate and expand the implementation of this strategy. Dr. Madjiguene Ba emphasized the need to intensify HPV vaccination by strengthening information campaigns, combating rumors, and bringing vaccination closer to adolescent girls and their families. She also stressed the importance of making services more accessible, while ensuring adequately trained professionals and appropriate tools. The congress will therefore include workshops on visual inspection with acetic acid, thermal ablation, HPV testing, and colposcopy. "A woman who tests positive must be diagnosed, referred, and treated quickly," the specialist stated, to avoid any disruptions in her care.

2,280 new cases announced in 2024

The representative of the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene, Abdallah Wade, emphasized the scale of the challenge. Citing data from Globocan 2024, he mentioned 2,280 new cases of cervical cancer, making this disease, according to the figures presented, the leading cancer among women in Senegal. Faced with this situation, Senegal already has several tools at its disposal. HPV vaccination was introduced into the Expanded Program on Immunization in 2018. Screening is being progressively integrated into healthcare facilities, while the skills of healthcare professionals and treatment options are being strengthened. But the objective, according to the Ministry, is now to move to the next stage: expanding screening, developing HPV testing, and leveraging new technologies, particularly digital tools and artificial intelligence.

For Abdallah Wade, however, the elimination of cervical cancer cannot rely solely on healthcare professionals. It will require the involvement of the State, learned societies, universities, researchers, partners, civil society, communities, and the media.

The ministry also recalls that the National Cancer Control Plan 2025-2029 aims in particular to strengthen prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment, with an announced objective of reducing cancer-related mortality by at least 25% by 2029.

"Behind every screening, there is a woman's life."

For Professor Alimatou Diop, patron of the congress, scientific progress must be translated into concrete actions for all women. HPV vaccination, accessible and high-quality screening, colposcopy, diagnosis, and treatment must therefore be integrated into a single care pathway.

She also emphasized the importance of a multidisciplinary approach, particularly in situations involving co-infection or immunosuppression. "Behind every screening, every diagnosis, and every innovation, there is a woman's life to protect," she stated.

The congress is intended to serve as a framework for training, sharing experiences and mobilization.

Participants are working on topics including diagnosis, treatment, precancerous lesions, invasive cancers, colposcopy, and artificial intelligence.

The battle is therefore being fought as much in health structures as in communities. Vaccinating a teenager, screening a woman, treating a precancerous lesion and preventing a patient from being lost to follow-up: it is this complete chain that Senegal now wants to accelerate in order to get closer to the goal of eliminating cervical cancer.