{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,20]],"date-time":"2026-04-20T14:07:07Z","timestamp":1776694027437,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,16]],"date-time":"2026-01-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1768521600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Current Oncology"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Cervical cancer is a largely preventable disease, with over 90% of cases caused by persistent infection with human papillomavirus (HPV). Despite the availability of HPV vaccination and cervical screening, incidence rates in Canada have been rising since 2015, particularly among underserved populations. This study investigates contributing factors behind cervical cancer diagnoses in Eastern Ontario over a two-year period to identify gaps leading to failures in prevention and screening. A retrospective chart review was conducted for cervical cancer cases diagnosed between January 2022 and December 2023 at two regional cancer centres in Eastern Ontario. Cases were categorized as screen-detected, inadequately screened, or system failure, based on prior screening history and care processes. Data was collected on patient, screening, and cancer characteristics. Of 132 cases, 22 (16.7%) were screen-detected, 73 (55.3%) were inadequately screened, and 37 (28.0%) were attributed to healthcare system failure. Later-stage disease was significantly more common in the latter two groups. Thirty-one (23.5%) cases presented with palliative diagnoses, and 18 (13.6%) individuals died within 2.5 years. Inadequate screening was associated with rurality, deprivation, and lack of a primary care provider. System failures included false-negative Pap tests, loss to follow-up, and misapplication of screening guidelines. This study evaluated failures in cervical cancer prevention, which led to cervical cancer diagnoses in Eastern Ontario. Gaps included suboptimal screening participation, lack of access to care, health care system breakdowns, and limitations of the Pap test. Findings provide concrete suggestions for eliminating cervical cancer in Canada.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/curroncol33010052","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,16]],"date-time":"2026-01-16T11:39:37Z","timestamp":1768563577000},"page":"52","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Towards Cervical Cancer Elimination: Insights from an In-Depth Regional Review of Patients with Cervical Cancer"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"33","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5422-8428","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anna N.","family":"Wilkinson","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0297-2041","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kristin","family":"Wright","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oncology, Queen\u2019s University, Kingston, ON K7L 2V7, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8107-7648","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Colleen","family":"Savage","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Security and Compliance Advisor, Queen\u2019s University, Kingston, ON K7L 2V7, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-1191-2105","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dana","family":"Pearl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Elena","family":"Park","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Obstetrics and Gynecology, Queen\u2019s University, Kingston, ON K7L 2V7, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3023-0080","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wilma","family":"Hopman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Kingston Health Sciences Centre Research Institute, Kingston, ON K7L 2V7, Canada"},{"name":"Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen\u2019s University, Kingston, ON K7L 2V7, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tara","family":"Baetz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2349","DOI":"10.1002\/ijc.27485","article-title":"Human papillomavirus types in 115,789 HPV-positive women: A meta-analysis from cervical infection to cancer","volume":"131","author":"Guan","year":"2012","journal-title":"Int. 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