Guatemala advances cervical cancer fight with new agreement
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Roche Diagnóstica and the Pan American Health Organization signed an agreement to improve cervical cancer prevention and diagnosis in Guatemala.
The collaboration will increase access to more accurate testing and expand health services for women in the country. In 2024, cervical cancer was the second most common cancer among Guatemalan women, resulting in 1894 cases and 1108 deaths.
Guatemala’s Ministry of Health and Social Assistance recently reported over 203,000 screenings and vaccinations for over 522,000 girls against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). The World Health Organization (WHO) reported 662,301 cervical cancer diagnoses and 348,874 deaths globally in 2022, highlighting the need for greater prevention efforts.
The WHO and the Pan American Health Organization are working towards the 90-70-90 goals by 2030 to 90% of girls vaccinated against HPV, 70% of women screened for cervical cancer, and 90% of diagnosed women receiving treatment. Roche Diagnóstica’s agreement with the Pan American Health Organization will help achieve these goals. Through the agreement, Guatemala will receive a donation of 30,000 HPV diagnostic tests and a cobas 5800 molecular testing platform. These tools will be available at more affordable prices.
The new molecular platforms detect HPV DNA with 98.1% accuracy, a substantial improvement over the 48.5% accuracy of traditional methods, and will allow women to perform self-sampling. Experts emphasize the importance of HPV vaccination, regular screenings, and timely follow-up care for effective prevention.
