Esteemed women’s health advocate Prof Bev Lawton ONZM is on a mission to eradicate cervical cancer – and she says with the right action, it’s possible within our lifetime.
The director of the National Centre for Women’s Health Research Aotearoa is throwing her support behind a new Cancer Society campaign that sees people signing their names to 'The Book that Ended Cancer'.
Lawton joined the final episode of 'Grey Areas with Petra Bagust' season six to talk about the campaign and her calls for the government to extend preventative health care initiatives such as vaccination, screening and early treatment to women across the country.
“[Eliminating cervical cancer] is very exciting and it's within our reach – we just need that commitment to eliminate it,” she said.
“Through this rapid scientific development to developing a vaccine, which is a beautiful vaccine… we can vaccinate and screen ourselves to no cervical cancer.”
Lawton told Grey Areas a recent study in Scotland found that not a single person who was vaccinated against HPV as a young girl now has cervical cancer.
“So it's a very good vaccine and it makes you quite emotional. These little kids running around and their parents have chosen to give them this vaccine – it's a good gift.”
She also explained another key in the fight against cervical cancer: the rollout of self-testing that started in September of last year, which 80% of the women who have been tested have opted for.
We're the only [high-income] country in the world that's gone to an HPV primary testing programme with self-testing HPV. We can do it ourselves. It's a more effective test, it prevents more cancers.
“No screening is perfect, but it prevents more cancers than what we've been doing. It's an innovation, and it all helps for equity.”
Lawton told Petra that eradicating this horrific cancer once and for all is within our grasp – but everyone needs to play their part.
“Is it realistic that we can eliminate cervical cancer? Yes, I think it is. We can go a long way towards that."
“To do that, we need a commitment. We need the people of New Zealand to want it to happen. We need women to put up their hands and to support us. And we need the government to walk with us.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Lawton and Petra also covered topics such as menopause, endometriosis and how information is power.
Listen to the full podcast with Bev Lawton and plenty of other great interviews on 'Grey Areas with Petra Bagust'.
