Cervical screening and cancer prevention
In Ireland, approximately 250 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year.
Cervical screening can save lives by finding and treating changes in the cells of the cervix before any cancerous changes happen. This prevents cervical cancer and makes screening a key pillar of the cervical cancer elimination plan.
CervicalCheck, Ireland’s national population-based cervical screening programme, was introduced in 2008 when the incidence of cervical cancer in Ireland was 15 per 100,000. Since then, the incidence has dropped by 2.8% per year (now at 10.1 per 100,000), and mortality has dropped 1.1% per year.
For every one thousand people screened: 882 people do not have HPV and will receive an ‘HPV not found’ result.
Two people will have abnormal cells but will receive an ‘HPV not found’ result—this is called a false negative.
98 people will test positive for HPV and so not have abnormal cells that need treatment – this is called a false positive.
And 18 people will have HPV and abnormal cells that need treatment, and will receive an ‘HPV found’ result.
HPV Vaccine and Cancer Prevention
Over 90% of cervical cancer cases are caused by HPV.
90% of women and men will contract HPV in their lifetime.
The best way to prevent cervical cancer, is to immunise against HPV.
A study published in November 2021 from England (you will be directed to the website of the Lancet journal) observed a substantial reduction in cervical cancer and incidence of severe cervical abnormality caused by HPV infection (CIN3) in young women after the introduction of the HPV immunisation programme in England, especially in individuals who were offered the vaccine at age 12–13 years.
The study advises “the HPV immunisation programme has successfully almost eliminated cervical cancer in women born since Sept 1, 1995”
In October 2020 a study from Sweden(website of the Lancet journal) reported that Swedish girls and women aged 10 to 30 years old, who had been vaccinated with Gardasil (which protects against 7 out of 10 cervical cancers) resulted in a big reduction in the risk of invasive cervical cancer in the population.
In the study cervical cancer was diagnosed in 538 women who had not received Gardasil vaccine and in only 19 women who had received the vaccine.
In Ireland, Gardasil 9 vaccine given through the school immunisation programme protects against 9 out of 10 cervical cancers.
The HPV vaccine has greatly reduced cases of pre-cancers of the cervix in young women in many countries including Australia, Sweden, the US and the UK.
In countries where the HPV vaccine is used, the number of cases of genital warts has decreased dramatically in both young women and men.
Additional information
Public information on immunisation in Ireland (this link will take you to hse.ie)
Ireland’s Cervical Cancer Elimination Action Plan 2025-2030 (this link will take you to hse.ie)
News story on cervical cancer elimination (this link will take you to hse.ie)