IARC hosts meeting of Expert Working Group on cervical cancer to review scientific evidence on screening programmes

The Expert Working Group of the European Commission Initiative on Cervical Cancer (EC-CvC) met at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) headquarters building on 19–21 November 2024 to continue its work on making recommendations on cervical cancer prevention guidelines.

The Expert Working Group continued its focus on the optimal age to start and stop cervical screening, as well as which tests provide the best balance of benefits and harms for asymptomatic populations across different age ranges.

Among the objectives of the meeting were finalizing recommendations on screening methods for asymptomatic individuals aged 30–50 years, who are the benchmark group. The questions under consideration were designed using the PICO framework (Patient or population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcomes). The Expert Working Group reviewed the scientific evidence on screening with cytology, testing for human papillomavirus (HPV), and co-testing, which is screening with cytology and HPV testing, among younger and older age groups.

Drawing on its international experience in generating and synthesizing evidence, the Early Detection, Prevention, and Infections Branch at IARC is leading the initiative, in collaboration with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (EC-JRC).

The 20 group members have expertise covering the full patient pathway of primary, secondary, and tertiary care. The mission of the EC-CvC Expert Working Group is to develop updated patient-centred, evidence-based guidelines on HPV vaccination, cervical cancer screening programmes, and diagnosis and management of precancerous lesions, as well as to identify quality and safety indicators and performance measures for the European quality assurance scheme for cervical cancer care.

Read more about IARC’s work on cervical cancer 

Read more about the EC-JRC’s initiatives on cancer guidelines and quality assurance