How will Canada eliminate cervix cancer by 2040 if rates aren’t declining?

A recent report by the Canadian Cancer Statistics Advisory Committee found that after more than three decades of steady decline, cases of cervical cancer have plateaued in the past 20 years.

In an effort to make screening less daunting, the Canadian Cancer Society is pushing for all provinces and territories to replace the traditional pap smear examination with the human papillomavirus (HPV) test. So far, only four provinces have made the switch.

But the switch is just a piece of the puzzle. Access to screening, education on reproductive health, and destigmatizing testing all play a role in bringing down cases of cervical cancer – which Canada committed to eliminate by 2040.

Host Maria Kestane speaks to Dr. Lucy Gilbert, director of the McGill University Gynecologic Oncology service, an