Cervical cancer to become disease of the middle-aged

CERVICAL cancer is set to become a disease of the middle-aged, research shows.

Experts predict it will almost be eradicated among young women by 2040 thanks to the HPV vaccine, which for the last decade has been given to all British schoolgirls.

Instead the cancer will start to become far more common among women in their 0s and 60s, the researchers predict.

The scientists, whose projections are published in the Lancet Public Health journal, puts changing sexual behaviour and poor uptake of the cervical screening programme as the main reasons for the shift.

Women in the 30s and 40s today have more sexual partners than they did in the past, partly due to increasing divorce rates. That means they are more likely to develop cervical cancer a decade or two later.

The research team believes cases of cervical cancer in young women will decline 7 per cent by 2040. But it will grow 62 per cent among those aged 0 to 64, who are too old to receive the jab.

Dr Alejandra Castanon, of Queen Mary University of London, said: ‘Exposure to HPV is increasing in line with increased rates for sexually transmitted diseases. Increased cervical cancer risk among older women is a result of many factors.

‘It takes a minimum of ten years between getting HPV and developing cancer so the impact of increased exposure to HPV among young women will not be seen until older age. Changing sexual practices and increased numbers of partners is also adding to increased HPV exposure.

‘With a growing population and fewer older women attending cervical screening, risk of cervical cancer among older age groups is much increased.’