Technical Meeting:

Impact of COVID-19 on Cervical Cancer Screening, Treatment and Vaccination

Online Technical Meeting – November 2020

 

Meeting Objectives
  • Update on Covid-19 pandemic: What’s the new normal?
  • Discuss the impact of Covid-19 on WHO cervical elimination goals
  • Impact of Covid 19 on Vaccination
    – Discuss current situation of vaccination programs across different regions in the world.
    – Discuss the impact of Covid-19 on school-based vaccination programs and the strategies to restart the programs.
    – Vaccine implementation in LMICS and coverage in HICs.
    – Impact of Covid-19 on vaccine clinical trials; country examples with ongoing trials, challenges, and strategies to proceed forward.
    – Discuss how the vaccine supply shortage situation will evolve due to the pandemic.
  • Impact of Covid-19 on HPV Screening and Treatment
    – Discuss current situation of screening and treatment programs across different regions in the world.
    – Identify successful programs such as ROSE in Malaysia to discuss how Covid has impacted these programs their adapted strategies and what is the way forward.
    – Discuss self-sampling as an alternate strategy.
    – Discuss strategies to restart screening and treatment in HICs and LMICS.
    – Discuss the supply shortage of HPV assays.
    – HPV assays validation in Covid-19 times; current prospect and challenges.
    – Impact of Covid-19 on HPV screening and treatment Clinical trials; country examples with ongoing trials, challenges, and strategies to proceed forward.
    – Discuss modelling strategies to support decision making: What are the information needs for developing robust and accurate models of pandemic impacts.
    – Reviewing cervical cancer control disruptions in various countries and assess the impact of Covid-19 on vaccination, screening and treatment.
    – Using modelling expertise to determine the intermediate and long term impact of disruptions
    – Using modelling to inform decision-making for optimizing mitigation and recovery strategies.
  • Turning the impact of COVID-19 into a positive pathway for innovation
    – Discuss how Covid-19 can be used as an opportunity to bring more robust techniques to deal with screening and vaccination challenges i.e. mobile clinics, self-sampling, mobile apps, more innovative approaches.

Background Document

DAY 1 – Thursday, 12 November 2020

SESSION 1: OPENING AND OBJECTIVES
Chairs: Alex Vorsters & Karen Canfell

  • Introduction & Welcome
    Alex Vorsters (University of Antwerp)
    Karen Canfell (Cancer Council NSW)
        (Pdf, Video)
  • Update on Covid-19 pandemic: what’s the new normal?
         Pierre Van Damme (University of Antwerp)
        (Pdf, ​ Video)

SESSION 2 (PART 1): IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON HPV VACCINATION
Chairs: Pierre Van Damme & Suzanne Garland

  • Guidance for HPV vaccination during Covid-19 pandemic
    Paul Bloem (WHO)
    (Pdf, ​Video) ​
  • Current situation of HPV vaccination programs across different regions in the world

–   Current Situation of HPV Vaccination Programs in the Americas
Lucia de Oliveira (Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) 
    (Pdf, ​Video)​
    
–   Current Situation of HPV Vaccination Programs in Brazil
Victor Gomes Porto (Ministry of Health Brazil)
    (Pdf, Video)​
   
–   10 years of experience in the delivery of HPV vaccine and COVID-19 Impact on vaccination coverage Rwanda
Hassan Sibomana (Rwanda Biomedical Centre)
    (Pdf, Video​) 
  
–   HPV vaccination programme: Current Situation in England
Alejandra Castanon (King’s College London)​
    (Pdf , Video) 
   
–   Current Situation of HPV Vaccination Programs in Japan
Sharon Hanley (Hokkaido University)
(Pdf, Video)
    
–  Current situation of HPV vaccination programs across EU countries 
Hélène De Pauw (Sciensano, Belgium)

  • ​Questions & discussions

SESSION 2 (PART 2): IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON HPV VACCINATION
Chairs: Margaret Stanley & Kate Cuschieri

  • Interruption of vaccination programs, and strategies to close the immunity gap
    UNICEF – Oya Zeren Afsar
    (Pdf, Video) ​

 

  • Lessons learnt from the Ebola outbreak country response, interruption and restarting of vaccination programs – The example of Liberia
    Ado Bwaka (WHO)
    (Pdf, Video)

 

  • Questions & discussions

  • Impact of Covid-19 on single-dose HPV vaccination trials; interruption, current situation and way forward
    Aimee Kreimer (National Cancer Institute – NCI)

 

  • Questions & discussions

 

SESSION 3: IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON HPV SCREENING AND TREATMENT
Chairs: Mario Poljak & Xavier Bosch​

  • Current situation of screening programs across different regions in the world
    Laia Bruni (Catalan Institute of Oncology)

 

  • Interruption in the screening programme-   ROSE; Adapted Strategy and Moving forward in the Era of Covid-19
    Yin Ling Woo (University of Malaya)
    (Pdf, Video)

     

    –   HPV screening programme: Current Situation in England 
    Alejandra Castanon (King’s College London)​
    (Pdf,  Video)

    –   Interruption in the Cervical Screening Programme- COVID-19 and Japan​
    Sharon Hanley (Hokkaido University)
    (Pdf)

 

  • Perspectives Against COVID-19 Pandemic: Impact on Guidelines
    Murat Gültekin (European Society of Gynaecological Oncology)
    (Pdf​ , Video)

 

  • Questions & discussions

PANEL DISCUSSION
Chairs: Anna Giuliano & Eduardo Franco

    • HPV Vaccine supply landscape; current scenario and future perspective
      Tania Cernuschi (WHO)
      (Pdf)
    • Environmental Scan: Current Status of new HPV vaccine​
      Peter Dull (Gates Foundation)
      (Pdf, Video)
    • Breakout session
      HPV assays shortage and HPV vaccine supply constraints; is 2030 elimination target possible
    • Plenary feedback

     

    DAY 2 – Friday, 13 November 2020

    SESSION 4: MODELLING STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT DECISION MAKING AND MAKE BETTER HEALTH INTERVENTIONS
    Chairs: Freddie Bray and Karen Canfell

    • Overview of the Covid and Cancer Global Modelling Consortium (CCGMC) efforts in relation to cervical cancer
      Karen Canfell (Cancer Council NSW)
      (Pdf, ​ Video)​

     

    • Current challenges in collating and using cancer registry data to inform recovery planning for cervical cancer control
      Freddie Bray (IARC)
      (Video)​

     

    • LMIC Focus: Modelled near term impact of delays in elimination on cervical cancer cases averted and lives saved before 2030
      Kate Simms (Cancer Council NSW)
      (Pdf, ​Video)

     

    • Modelled impact of Covid related disruptions on cervical screening in the USA
      Emily Burger (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)
      (Pdf)

     

    • Modelled impact of Covid related disruptions on cervical screening in the first CCGMC multi-country analysis
      Megan Smith (Cancer Council NSW)

     

    • Panel Discussion (all speakers): Discussion Video
      – What data do we need to inform the modelling of Covid impacts and optimal recovery strategies?
      – What recovery strategies should we prioritize for evaluation?

    SESSION 5: TURNING IMPACT OF COVID-19 INTO PATHWAY FOR INNOVATION
    Chairs: Paolo Bonanni & Nubia Muño

    • Approaches on how to generate a covid free space and re/evaluate the priorities
      Silvia de Sanjosé (National Cancer Institute and PATH)

     

    • Is self-sampling a solution to overcome COVID-19 related decreases in screening coverage
      Marc Arbyn (Sciensano)
      (Pdf, ​Video)​

     

    • GAVI INNOVATION CATALOGUE v1.0: Maintaining, restoring & strengthening immunization 
      Charlie Whetham (GAVI)
      (Pdf, Video)​ 
    •  Questions & Discussion

    BREAKOUT SESSION

    • Breakout session
      – Lessons learned from this meeting
      – Steps needed for the future
      – How can we make a difference?

    • Plenary feedback

    SESSION 6: CONCLUSION
    Chair: Alex Vorsters

    Conclusion and concluding remarks
    Marc Baay (P95) (​Pdf)
    Alex Vorsters (University of Antwerp)