A novel and cost-effective model to screen and treat cervical cancer and precancers at the point of care

Sep 23, 2026

Uploaded by Callum

A perspective presents a cost-effective, sustainable, practical model to screen and treat cervical cancer and precancers at the point of care. Cervical cancer remains a major global burden with high incidence and mortality, and adoption of the WHO 90-70-90 policy faces barriers in resource-rich and resource-constrained settings. The model combines a novel vaginal speculum for improved visibility and comfort, AI-assisted cervicography using a portable colposcope or smartphone, and canister-based cryotherapy.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Introduction

TYPE Perspective PUBLISHED 16 April 2025 DOI 10. 3389/fpubh.2025.1527172 OPEN ACCESS EDITED BY Sankhadeep Dutta, Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI), India REVIEWED BY Ricardo Valentim, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil *CORRESPONDENCE Jean M. Bouquet [jbouquet@rvu.edu](jbouquet@rvu.edu)[ ](jbouquet@rvu.edu)Isain Zapata [izapata@rvu.edu](izapata@rvu.edu) RECEIVED 26 November 2024 ACCEPTED 31 March 2025 PUBLISHED 16 April 2025 CITATION Bouquet JM, Morris E and Zapata I (2025) A novel and cost-e􀀀ective model to screen and treat cervical cancer and precancers at the point of care. Front. Public Health 13:1527172 . doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1527172 COPYRIGHT © 2025 Bouquet, Morris and Zapata. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. A novel and cost-e􀀀ective model to screen and treat cervical cancer and precancers at the point of care Jean M. Bouquet 1*, Emily Morris 2 and Isain Zapata 3,4* 1 Department of Primary Care Medicine, Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Englewood, CO, United States, 2 Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Englewood, CO, United States, 3 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Englewood, CO, United States, 4 O􀀈ce of Research and Scholarly Activity, Rocky Vista University, Englewood, CO, United States Background: Cervical cancer has a high incidence to high mortality rate and poses an important global burden that disproportionately a􀀀ects women in underdeveloped areas of the world. The World Health Organization has proposed a new and ambitious policy that aims to reduce the number of deaths from cervical cancer by 62 .6 million over the next 70 years. However, there are many obstacles to the adoption of this policy and implementation in both Resource-Rich and Resource-Constrained Countries. Methods: In this perspective article, we propose a cost-e􀀀ective, sustainable, and practical model that introduces a kit that may help overcome some of the existing barriers and achieve the goal to eventually eliminate cervical cancer. The kit includes a novel vaginal speculum that provides better visibility of the cervix, ease-of-use, and patient comfort; AI-assisted cervicography with a portable colposcope or Smart Phone; and canister-based cryotherapy. Results: Previous studies in Peru, Panama, Paraguay, and Kenya have demonstrated that these kits represent a novel, cost-e􀀀ective, practical, accurate, and sustainable model to screen, triage, and treat cervical cancer and precancers at the point of care anywhere in the world. Conclusion: This model is a simple and inexpensive solution to some of the barriers to care for cervical health, potentially providing signiﬁcant beneﬁts by decreasing morbidity and mortality of cervical cancer without signiﬁcant risk for women throughout the world. KEYWORDS cervical cancer, gynecology, novel vaginal speculum, AI-assisted cervicography, canister-based cryotherapy, public health, cancer prevention Introduction Cervical cancer is a slow growing cancer that is easily prevented but has a high incidence to mortality rate at close to 50%, meaning that nearly half of women will die from cervical cancer once the diagnosis is made (1) . The term “women” refers to all biologic females and gender diverse people at risk for cervical cancer. Globally, there are over 340,000 women who die from this very preventable cancer every year (1).Thee􀀓ects from each death on the fabric of the community are vast: in 2017,

FAQs

What problem does the article address?

The article addresses the high incidence and mortality of cervical cancer and the global barriers that hinder adoption of the WHO cervical cancer reduction policy.

What components are included in the proposed point-of-care model?

The model includes a novel vaginal speculum for better cervix visibility and ease of use, AI-assisted cervicography using a portable colposcope or smartphone, and canister-based cryotherapy.

What outcomes are reported from prior studies?

Prior studies in Peru, Panama, Paraguay, and Kenya are reported to demonstrate that the kits are novel, cost-effective, practical, accurate, and sustainable for screening, triage, and treatment at the point of care.

Sep 23, 2026

Uploaded by Callum