1958

We pioneer one of the earliest UK cervical screening studies 

Our first step takes us back around 70 years.

In the 1950s, researcher Erica Wachtel analysed smear tests - samples of cells from the cervix - from 165 patients following treatment for gynaecological cancers (such as endometrial, ovarian and cervical).

She discovered that measuring oestrogen activity helped predict if these cancers, including cervical cancer, were responding to treatment and spot the early signs of the cancer returning.

1988

The NHS Cervical Screening Programme begins 

30 years after Wachtel's study, the UK rolled out a cervical screening programme with a computerised invite system to make sure all eligible women were offered screening.

At that time, cervical screening looked for abnormal changes to cervical cells and aimed to pick up changes that could develop into cervical cancer if left untreated.

Within the first 25 years of the screening programme, the number of cervical cancer cases fell by a third.

1993

Our scientists show how vaccination can protect cows from the bovine equivalent of HPV 

In the early 1990s, scientists discovered that exposure to HPV could lead to cervical cancer over time, thanks in part to research led by our former chief scientist, Professor Karen Vousden.

Thanks to that research, we knew that preventing or curing HPV infections could cut the number of cervical cancer cases.

A study led by scientists at our Beatson Institute, Glasgow, was the first to demonstrate an effective vaccine against a papillomavirus in cows.

In their landmark paper, the research team concluded: “We believe that similar strategies can be used for vaccination in humans.”

1999

We show that nearly all cervical cancers are caused by HPV 

By 1995, the International Biology Study of Cervical Cancer (IBSCC), which we helped fund, had analysed over 1,000 cervical cancer samples across 22 countries. They found signs of HPV in 93% of them.

These findings pointed to HPV as the cause of more than 9 in 10 cases of cervical cancer, making clear just how powerful a vaccine could be.

But, four years later, even that was revealed to be an underestimate. With our funding, another group of researchers reanalysed the ISBCC samples and found that HPV was present in 99.7% of cases.

The team described HPV as the one factor causing the highest percentage of a single cancer in the world. The gears were in motion for the development of the HPV vaccination programme.

2002

Our researchers test a prototype HPV vaccine

Almost 10 years after the vaccine for HPV in cows had been developed, scientists developed the first human equivalent.

In an early-stage clinical trial, our researchers in Manchester found that after three monthly doses of the prototype vaccine, volunteers’ immune systems had made antibodies (proteins in our blood that fight infections) against HPV.

Find out more about how the HPV vaccine works

2003-2006

We show that testing for HPV infection before looking for cell changes could improve the screening programme by preventing even more cases of cervical cancer

In two major studies, Professor Jack Cuzick and his team investigated how we could improve the cervical screening programme. 

In the first, the HART study, they found that HPV testing could be done first in cervical screening instead of looking for abnormal cells. Women that tested positive for HPV were referred for cytology, where doctors would check their cervical cells for signs of abnormality. 

If no abnormal cells were found, these women could be invited for another test 12 months later. 

A few years later, they expanded their research to include data from over 60,000 women in Europe and North America. Their results showed that HPV testing was significantly more sensitive than cytology, meaning that fewer cases of the disease are missed.  

Their results supported the use of HPV testing as the sole primary screening test, with cytology used only for women who test HPV positive. 

2008

The HPV vaccination programme is rolled out to girls ages 11-13 in the UK 

Between 2008 and 2014, over 2.3 million girls receive three doses of the HPV vaccine. 

2017

Our research shows that people who’ve had the HPV vaccine could need fewer cervical screens  

As the first cohorts of girls vaccinated against HPV began to reach the age where they would be invited for screening, researchers noted that the screening programme had not been adapted to take the vaccine into account. 

Based on real data, they created a model that simulated various screening scenarios to determine whether the appropriate screening intensity differed between vaccinated and unvaccinated women. 

They concluded that vaccinated women may be able to have just three cervical screens throughout their lifetime, compared to the current 12 offered – freeing up NHS resources while still protecting against cervical cancer. More research on how a woman’s vaccination status may be used in cervical screening is still ongoing. 

2019

The HPV vaccination programme is expanded to include boys aged 11-13

Since 2019, the vaccine has been offered to all children aged 11-13. There’s also a catch-up programme for people up to the age of 25 who may have missed getting the vaccine when it was first offered.

2021

Our researchers prove the value of the HPV vaccine

The results of a monumental study we funded, led by Professor Peter Sasieni, found that the HPV vaccine dramatically reduced cervical cancer rates by almost 90% in women in their 20s who were offered it at ages 12 to 13. 

“My immediate reaction was that we better check this – it’s too good to be true,” Sasieni told us a year later. “I thought that we might be reducing cases of cancer by 50%. And then to see over 80% reduction is just stunning.” 

"In the UK, the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem in our lifetime is possible with continued action to improve access to vaccination and screening for all.” 

2023

We show how changing the way we use existing drugs can cut the risk of cervical cancer returning   

Since 1999, doctors have treated cervical cancer with a course of chemoradiation (CRT), a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.  

The INTERLACE trial investigated whether giving patients a six-week course of chemotherapy before CRT could reduce the risk of their disease returning. 

Results from the trial show that after five years, the initial six weeks of chemotherapy cut the risk of their disease returning, or death, by 35%.  

“This is the biggest improvement in outcome in this disease in over 20 years,” said Dr Mary McCormack, the lead investigator of the trial. 

2025

NHS England announces at-home HPV testing for the cervical screening programme

This year, the NHS in England announced that it will offer at-home HPV testing kits to women who are overdue for their screening. 

The decision was based on the results of the YouScreen trial, which was led by some of our funded researchers.   

The new “self-sampling" approach will be rolled out early in 2026. People whose self-samples show signs of HPV will then be invited for a follow-up screening appointment to check for abnormal cervical cells. 

“Screening is a powerful tool to prevent cervical cancer and save lives, but we know it isn’t always easy for everyone to take part,” said Michelle Mitchell, our chief executive.   

“For some, the test may be uncomfortable, embarrassing, or simply hard to fit into their lives. That’s why we welcome this decision, which will break down some of the barriers and has the potential to improve participation rates by giving people more choice and control, allowing them to take a sample in the privacy of their own home, at a time that suits them."

We’ve also supported research into other more accessible screening methods, including Papcup, a self-screening method that uses menstrual blood to check for signs of HPV, and a more comfortable alternative to the current in-person screening technique, which uses a small disc of absorbent paper instead of a soft brush.

The road ahead

Together, the HPV vaccine and cervical screening have almost eliminated cervical cancer in younger women in the UK. Thanks to momentum we helped create, the World Health Organization (WHO) has even set an ambitious target to eliminate the disease globally as a public health problem. 

NHS England has already pledged to meet the WHO’s elimination targets by 2040. But although survival has improved in the UK, approximately 350,000 women around the world die because of cervical cancer each year, mostly in less developed countries. The progress we've made here can help change that.

Earlier this year, we part-funded the development of the Cervical Cancer Elimination Planning Tool, a publicly available online tool that enables countries to create cervical cancer strategies that match screening, vaccination and treatment interventions to their own needs and contexts. It's a way to make the best use of everything that we now have at our disposal to stop cervical cancer, and it could help save tens of millions of lives over the next 100 years.

“We’re proud to have played a role in developing this tool, which is helping policymakers around the world implement life-saving prevention strategies,” said Mitchell when the EPT was published. “Beating cervical cancer must mean beating it for everyone, so it is vital we keep up this momentum.” 

That's why we won’t stop here. We're continuing on the path we’ve laid out, to help create a future where almost no one in the world can develop cervical cancer, regardless of who they are or where they're from.