Special Journal Issue Charts Path to Eliminating Cervical Cancer Through Science and Equity

Cervical cancer stands poised to become the first human cancer eliminated through coordinated global action, according to a new special issue of Cancer Biology & Medicine that brings together leading experts worldwide to examine progress, challenges, and innovations in prevention, screening, and treatment. The collection provides a timely resource for accelerating the World Health Organization's 2030 targets for cervical cancer elimination and advancing women's health equity globally. Each year, more than 340,000 women die from cervical cancer, with the majority of deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries despite the disease being highly preventable through vaccination and early detection.

The special issue, available at https://www.cancerbiomed.org/content/22/9, marks the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and aligns with the 2025 World Women's Summit in Beijing. Guest-edited by Professor Youlin Qiao of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, the issue highlights global disparities, China's contributions, and the collective scientific and policy innovations needed to accelerate progress. The issue reflects the journal's mission to bridge cutting-edge oncology research with public health priorities, particularly in women's health, with all content freely accessible through platforms like http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/journals/2000/.

The collection features ten contributions spanning global perspectives, policy analysis, epidemiology, digital innovation, economic evaluation, and novel therapeutics. An editorial from the International Agency for Research on Cancer outlines global disparities and China's contributions, while a perspective piece explores how policy modeling can guide resource-sensitive elimination strategies in low- and middle-income countries. An original article analyzes cervical cancer burden and trends in China from 2000 to 2020 in comparison with four Asia-Pacific countries, providing crucial data for elimination planning.

Technological and clinical advances featured in the issue include the first international evaluation of a bilingual digital colposcopy education tool (iDECO), which significantly improves diagnostic accuracy, and the development of a therapeutic multi-epitope protein vaccine targeting HPV16 that demonstrates strong tumor regression in preclinical models. Additional research covers HPV vaccination willingness, innovative triage algorithms in rural China, intelligent digital platforms for population-based screening, and the economic impact of government-organized programs. These studies collectively provide a comprehensive view of scientific, clinical, and policy innovations driving the global elimination of cervical cancer.

Professor Youlin Qiao emphasized that cervical cancer represents the only malignancy realistically eliminable through vaccination, screening, and early treatment. The special issue demonstrates the collective knowledge and innovation needed to achieve this goal by combining science, policy, and equity to ensure no woman is left behind in the global drive to eliminate cervical cancer. The timing aligns with renewed global attention to women's health at the 2025 World Women's Summit, providing evidence-based insights across epidemiology, technology, economics, and therapeutics to inform international collaboration and inspire action.

The elimination of cervical cancer represents not only a public health objective but also a milestone for gender equity and global health justice. As the world moves closer to this unprecedented achievement, the special issue serves as both a progress report and a call to action, demonstrating that eliminating cervical cancer is possible within our lifetime but requires coordinated global cooperation. The research highlights how addressing health inequities through scientific innovation and policy alignment can transform cancer prevention and treatment outcomes worldwide.