Urgent call for HPV vaccination and screening to combat rising cervical cancer cases in Hong Kong

The HPV Prevention Alliance is urgently urging women to receive HPV vaccinations as early as possible and to regularly undergo screening tests to prevent cervical cancer from threatening their health. 

This appeal comes in light of a troubling 30 percent surge in cervical cancer cases in Hong Kong over the past decade, with annual diagnoses escalating from 457 in 2012 to a record 596 in 2021, according to data cited by the alliance.

Hextan Ngan Yuen-sheung, convenor of the HPV Prevention Alliance, revealed that nearly 40 percent of cervical cancer patients in Hong Kong are diagnosed at advanced stages, where treatment success rates are significantly diminished. 

Alarmingly, young women are experiencing a sharp increase in incidence rates.

“Many younger patients are pillars of their families, and a sudden diagnosis disrupts their lives and risks leaving children motherless,” Ngan said at a press conference on Wednesday.

Ngan reiterated that cervical cancer can be largely prevented through HPV vaccination and early screening, calling for cross-sector collaboration to combat the disease. 

However, Grace Wong Ching Yin, a senior doctor at the Family Planning Association of Hong Kong, said a concerning decline in HPV vaccination uptake and screening participation in recent years.

“Women aged 25 to 64 who are sexually active should undergo regular screenings to detect abnormalities before symptoms arise,” Wong said.

(Ayra Wang)