Current research into cervical cancer

Professor Peter Sasieni in London is looking for ways to improve cervical cancer screening. He’s looking to improve access to existing screening programmes, and will evaluate new screening methods that might be a better option for places with limited healthcare resources. 

In Sheffield, Professor John Tidy is leading a clinical trial to find out if women with early stage cervical cancer can safely have less extensive surgery. The trial will test two different operations, comparing how well they work and what women’s quality of life is like afterwards. The hope is that less extensive surgery will reduce the long-term side effects these women experience.

Most people with cervical cancer that has started to spread beyond the cervix are treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy at the same time. Dr Mary McCormack, in London, is leading a trial called INTERLACE to see if providing high doses of chemotherapy to reduce the size of the tumour, before the standard chemoradiotherapy treatment, could improve outcomes. If shown to be more effective than the existing treatment, this could become the new gold-standard of care for many people with cervical cancer.