IARC 60th Anniversary - 19-21 May 2026
Session : 21/05/26 - Posters
European Commission Initiative on Cervical Cancer – Recommendations on screening tests, ages and interval
NEAMTIU L. 1, NOWAKOWSKI A. 2, TAGHAVI K. 1, GARCIA ESCRIBANO M. 3, DIMITROVA N. 1, RAMIREZ T. 1, ALONSO-COELLO P. 4, JANUSCH- ROI A. 3, RIGAU COMAS D. 4, MUWONGE R. 1, ARBYN M. 1, QASEEM A. 5, BROUTET N. 6, BASU P. 1, LAUBY-SECRETAN B. 1
1 IARC, Lyon, France; 2 Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology in Warsaw (MSCNRIO), Warsaw, Poland; 3 European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy; 4 Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre, Barcelona, Spain; 5 American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, United States; 6 World Health Organization, Geneve, Switzerland
On behalf of the European Commission Initiative on Cervical Cancer Working Group
Introduction
The European Commission Initiative on Cervical Cancer (EC-CvC) develops evidence-based recommendations to increase screening efficiency and reduce cervical cancer burden and related inequalities across Europe. The recommendations are intended for individuals, healthcare professionals, and policymakers.
Methods
An international, multidisciplinary working group (WG) comprising 20 members developed key clinical questions using a PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) framework. Systematic reviews were performed by an individual systematic review team for each PICO question. The development process followed GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) Evidence-to-Decision frameworks to enhance transparency and minimize the potential influence of competing interests. PICO questions and recommendations focused on outcomes relevant to individuals such as quality of life, preterm birth, detection of cervical cancer.
Results
Seven PICO questions were prioritized to address the choice of screening: test(s), starting and stopping ages, and intervals. The recommendations also included considerations for various population subgroups. The EC-CvC WG issued strong recommendations for screening with HPV detection test for asymptomatic women and other individuals with a cervix aged 30 to 64 years old and a conditional recommendation aged 25 to 29 years old. The recommendations and supporting documents are available (https://cancer-screening-and-care.jrc.ec.europa.eu).
Conclusion
The European evidence-based cervical cancer prevention guidelines support organized screening programs across Europe. The recommendations facilitate public health decisions and their implementation. It can also be used in non-EU countries. They could be adapted and adopted for use in different settings depending on the local healthcare organisation.