Despite being a preventable disease, cervical cancer remains a significant public health concern in low- and middle-income countries, including those in Latin America (LATAM), where mortality rates are nearly three times higher than in North America. HPV vaccination represents one of the most important strategies for cervical cancer elimination; however, uptake in these regions has been consistently suboptimal. The aim of this review is to analyze the current status of HPV vaccination programs across LATAM, examines the underlying challenges, and proposes strategies to enhance vaccine coverage. Multiple obstacles to widespread vaccine adoption persist, including limited awareness, cultural stigma, and regional disparities in healthcare access, often driven by socioeconomic and infrastructural limitations. Addressing these challenges through multifaceted interventions—such as school-based vaccination programs, healthcare provider engagement, digital dissemination, simplified dosing schedules, and supportive policy measures—is essential to effectively improve vaccination rates and reduce disease burden.

Do ethnic differences influence the response to immunotherapy in advanced cervical cancer?

Introduction Cervical cancer remains a global health concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Immunotherapy has demonstrated meaningful improvements in the overall survival (OS) of patients with recurrent, persistent, or metastatic disease that progressed to platinum-containing chemotherapy. The present study aimed to evaluate real-world outcomes with the use of immunotherapy in this setting. Materials and Methods The current retrospective observational study included patients with recurrent, persistent, or metastatic cervical cancer who were exposed to single-agent immunotherapy at Oncoclínicas&CO private healthcare oncology network from July 2017 to January 2024. We performed descriptive statistics and estimated the time until treatment discontinuation (TTD) and OS through the Kaplan-Meier method. Results In total, 60 patients met the inclusion criteria: 33 (55%) received cemiplimab, 26 (43.3%), pembrolizumab, and only 1 (1.7%), nivolumab. Most received immunotherapy as the second-line treatment (85%) after chemotherapy plus bevacizumab (64%). After a median follow-up of 12 months, the median TTD was of 6.3 months (95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 4.7–9.6), and the median OS was of 10.7 months (95%CI: 9.1–not reached [NR]). Conclusion The present real-world study demonstrated comparable outcomes of single-agent immunotherapy for advanced cervical cancer with those described in pivotal clinical trials. These findings support the reproducibility and efficacy of immunotherapy, highlighting its role as a valuable treatment option in platinum-resistant cervical cancer.

Arenhardt MP, et al. J Gynecol Oncol. 2025 Mar;36:e102. https://doi.org/10.3802/jgo.2025.36.e102