Rome, July 19. Organized screening is a mainstay of cancer prevention, especially for cervical cancers. That was the message that emerged during the “Fighting HPV-Related Cancers: Prevention and Screening for Elimination” event hosted by Senator Sandra Zampa with the unconditional support of Hologic.

In Italy, organized screening for cervical cancer cares for women of appropriate age (25-64 years) by active invitation and pre-arranged appointment. Despite this, and in view of the increasing expansion of invitations over the last 10 years, adherence to organized screenings has never exceeded 43% (an acceptable value should be greater than 50%, with a desirable target of 70%). As in previous years, adherence to screening varies significantly by region. We commented on the Italian data with Giacomo Pardini, Country Manager of Hologic Italia:

“Our country has a well-organized screening program for cervical cancer. But it is sad to see that it is not fully utilized. There are two main challenges that need to be addressed. The first is how to encourage women to participate in screening screening when invited; the second is to overcome barriers, including socio-economic ones, to ensure that all women have access to the test.”

The event was attended by the Italian Cervical Screening Group (GISCi), the National Screening Observatory, Cittadinanzattiva, Loto Onlus and political representatives.