Cervical cancer is 18 times more common in the poorest as compared to the most advanced countries affecting women in the prime of their lives and weakening the development of their communities. While the knowledge and the technologies to effectively prevent cervical cancer are available as shown in affluent societies, the dramatic disparity largely results from the lack of effective screening programs for fragile and unreliable health systems often found in low and middle income countries.
ETiCCS (Emerging Technologies in Cervical Cancer Screening) is a non-profit initiative within the Department of Applied Tumor Biology, Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University, which aims to advance and promote organized cervical cancer screening in underserved communities with a high cancer burden. Cervical cancer screening programs will only be successful if they are broadly accessible, acceptable and using effective screening tools. Leveraging emerging technologies and novel insight into the cervical cancer pathogenesis it is possible to develop organized screening programs also for remote settings. Various new tools are available to create innovative approaches including molecular screening methods, self-sampling devices, digital imaging devices and versatile electronic systems for program monitoring and evaluation.
Our current scope of activities -in partnership with the WACA HPV initiative of the Global Health Institute, University of Antwerp- include (i) capacity building in 8 sub-Saharan countries, (ii) a long-standing collaboration with SAP™ to develop new ancillary tools to combine mobile and cloud-based information technology and (iii) studying innovative, scalable screening approaches based on primary HPV testing using home-based self-sampling and (iv) studying triage options including biomarker and cervicography.
The ETiCCS initiative is dedicated to curb the high cervical cancer burden in underserved and disadvantaged communities through organized, scalable cervical cancer screening by forging alliances with national and international stakeholders and key industries and by developing knowledge, capacity, and advocacy. Website: www.eticcs.org