Innovative tools to find and treat precancerous lesions in women living in low-resource settings.
When women have access to effective prevention, screening and treatment, cervical cancer is one of the most preventable and curable cancers. Despite this, it is the fourth most common cancer among women. A disproportionate burden of disease falls on women in low- and middle-income countries, largely due to gaps in access to critical screening and treatment services.
Unitaid is now the largest funder of innovative tools to find and treat precancerous lesions in women living in low-resource settings.
By the numbers
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90%
of deaths from cervical cancer occur in low- and middle-income countries
-
4th
most common cancer among women
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Nearly 350,000
women died from cervical cancer in 2020, largely due to a lack in access to existing tools
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6 times higher risk
Women living with HIV are at 6 times higher risk of developing cervical cancer than others
Why is Unitaid investing in Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer is largely an issue of access. Highly effective tools to screen and treat pre-cancerous lesions are widely available in high income countries but are largely unavailable in resource-limited settings. Unitaid is investing to advance a package of care to reach women with life-saving preventive services at local level health centers close to where they live.
