ESMO President Solange Peters Makes a Statement on Working Together for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer for the 72nd Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe

ESMO President, Solange Peters, was invited by the WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge, to provide an ESMO Statement on the resolution of the ‘Roadmap to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem in the WHO European Region 2022–2030’ for the 72nd Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe, 12-14 September 2022 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

The ESMO Statement is posted on the WHO Europe YouTube Channel, noting that “In the push to eliminate cervical cancer, partnerships are critical. The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) is a key partner in disseminating knowledge and best practices about what works to reduce disparities in clinical outcomes across the WHO European Region”.

This Roadmap on cervical cancer represents WHO Europe’s implementation of the  WHO Resolution on the ‘Global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem and its associated goals and targets for the period 2020–2030’, adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2020, and supported by ESMO.

The ESMO statement:

1. Welcomed the WHO Europe Roadmap and its clear value to foster partnerships, highlight implementation research, and to transfer evidence-based knowledge
2. Noted that ESMO contributed with its expertise to the WHO global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer
3. Reaffirmed ESMO’s continued support for efforts to disseminate and share best practices, for example within ESMO training programmes and the publication of the evidence-based ‘ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines’ on topics such as Cervical Cancer, Fertility Preservation, and Supportive and Palliative Care
4. Raised awareness that ESMO’s collaboration with WHO and health authorities has yielded results in several countries, supporting increased access to care for women with cervical cancer

Solange Peters concluded the ESMO statement saying that “As cancer professionals, we see the consequences of inaction and inequalities. Therefore, we encourage all stakeholders to share their knowledge and resources, and to implement what we all know works, by engaging our networks in a united ‘whole-of-government’ and ‘whole-of-society’ approach, as we stand together with women everywhere, and work towards the elimination of cervical cancer.”