Survey commissioned by Roche of women's attitudes to screening for human papillomavirus (HPV)

Concerns were expressed about the testing procedure being painful o In Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK) the biggest concern was around pain with on average 16% of women worried about pain, and the UK being the highest at 20%. o In LATAM (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru), on average 21% of women were worried about pain. • Social and economic barriers, and cultural concerns o In the UK embarrassment (16% of women) and reluctance to undress in front of a stranger (19% of women) had an impact on women’s willingness to be tested o In Europe, embarrassment (11% of women on average) and reluctance to undress in front of a stranger (14% of women on average) had an impact on women’s willingness to be tested o In LATAM, worries about results (21% of women on average) and trouble booking an appointment (22% of women on average) had an impact on women’s willingness to be tested • Awareness of HPV ; o Half (50%) of those polled have an inadequate understanding of HPV o Nearly one-third (31%) are unsure or unaware of HPV altogether • Discomfort about discussing sexual history or sexuality with a healthcare provider 93% of cervical cancers could be prevented entirely through appropriate screening and HPV vaccination. The survey comprised 8,700 people across 12 countries across Europe and Latin America (LATAM) and highlighted barriers to screening that may be contributing to a shortfall in meeting the World Health Organization’s targets for eliminating cervical cancer as a public health problem. In September 2024, Roche officially joined the Global HPV Consortium, collaborating globally to advance cervical cancer prevention efforts and raise the prominence of early screening and timely detection using high-performance HPV-DNA tests