Today, Australia’s NHMRC-funded Centre of Research Excellence in Cervical Cancer Control (C4) has released a new report highlighting gains from human papillomavirus (HPV) prevention and control in reducing the burden and impact of cervical cancer.
The fourth annual report on Australia’s progress towards the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem documents that 75% of eligible women are up-to-date with cervical screening, having had an HPV test within five years. Furthermore, the report finds that 83% of women aged 35-39 years have had at least one HPV test since Australia transitioned to HPV screening in 2017. This means that Australia is very well placed to meet the World Health Organization 2030 target for cervical screening, which specifies that by 2030 70% of women should be screened a minimum of twice in a lifetime, with a high-performance test (that is an HPV test). There hasn’t yet been sufficient time, since the introduction of HPV based screening in December 2017, to evaluate the percentage of women who have had at least two HPV tests, ten years apart.
Self-collection means a swab is used to take a sample for HPV testing from the vagina instead of requiring collection from the cervix using a speculum. While the initial impact of self-collection was small due to limited availability, data in this new C4 report show that, after self-collection was made available to all screeners, the largest increases in screening uptake were in the Northern Territory, remote and very remote areas, and more disadvantaged areas. This clearly shows that self-collection’s potential to improve equity and reach for underserved populations is starting to be realised.
“These results suggest self-collection is making screening more accessible to more people – because the areas with the greatest increases in screening coverage are the same areas where we know there’s been rapid uptake of self-collection, and where screening coverage has previously lagged behind.” says Associate Professor Megan Smith from the University of Sydney.
Another highlight of the report is the first-time publication of three key progress indicators by Indigenous status, which reveal the inequitable burden from HPV currently being borne by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Data are now available reporting HPV prevalence, cervical precancer rates, and cervical precancer treatment rates.
“We are pleased to be able to publish, for the first time in this report, a range of measures to track progress for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We must have this visibility in our data for accountability and to drive changes in our systems, ultimately ensuring that elimination leaves no one behind,” says Associate Professor Lisa Whop from Australian National University. “However, data remain unavailable to fully assess progress against all indicators for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, and is also lacking for other priority groups, including those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, those from the LGBTQ+ community who have a cervix and people with disability”.
HPV vaccination (2023 figures) rates have fallen over time to 83.0% (across both sexes by age 15 years) which is still below the Australian 2030 national coverage goal of 90%. Unfortunately, there has not yet been a return to pre-pandemic HPV vaccine coverage levels and the previous gains in equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, those living in remote areas and those living in areas of lower socioeconomic status have been undone. “We believe that the move to single dose HPV vaccination will help us reach more people and urge all Australians under 26 years of age who have not yet received their single HPV vaccine dose to access it through their GP, community health centre, ACCHO or pharmacy” says Professor Julia Brotherton from the University of Melbourne.
No national data on cervical cancer treatment rates were available for this report, highlighting the need for the development of a method for national monitoring and reporting of receipt of treatment and optimal treatment for cervical cancer.
“We are optimistic that Australia can address the ongoing challenges identified in this report by effectively implementing the national strategy for the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem by 2035, noting its important emphasis on improving data quality and completeness, and focus on equity” says Doctor Dorothy Machalek from The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales.
About C4
The NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Cervical Cancer Control (C4) is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Australia’s leading research funding body.
C4 brings together Australia’s leaders in cervical cancer control, in both HPV vaccination and cervical screening, with researchers from the University of Sydney, the Australian Centre for the Prevention of Cervical Cancer (ACPCC), Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney, the University of Melbourne, and Australian National University. The prior work of C4 investigators has underpinned Australia’s major innovations in cervical cancer control in terms of the successful delivery of HPV vaccination in girls and boys and the implementation of an HPV-based cervical screening program. https://www.cervicalcancercontrol.org.au
Access the Report
Brotherton J, Machalek D, Smith M et al., 2024 Cervical Cancer Elimination Progress Report: Australia’s progress towards the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem. Published online 14/03/2025, Melbourne, Australia, at https://report.cervicalcancercontrol.org.au.
Media enquiries:
For all media enquiries and interview opportunities, please contact:
University of Sydney: Katie Spenceley, [email protected]
Kirby Institute: Lucienne Bamford, [email protected]
University of Melbourne: Danielle Galvin, [email protected]
Australian National University: Jessica Fagan, [email protected]
Australian Centre for the Prevention of Cervical Cancer: Misha Coleman, [email protected]
