On May 5, at the launch of Cambodia’s National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP) 2025–2030, Health Minister Chheang Ra delivered a painful truth: “One person dies of cancer every 40 minutes in Cambodia.” That’s nearly 38 people each day and among them, a disproportionate number are women lost to cervical cancer—the leading cancer among Cambodian women, and one of the deadliest.

But here is the heartbreak: cervical cancer is not only preventable, it is also highly treatable if caught early.

Each year, 1,135 Cambodian women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and around 643 die from it, according to the ICO/IARC HPV Information Centre. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports a mortality rate of 8.3 per 100,000 women. These are not just statistics. These are garment workers, market vendors, students, and mothers—the fabric of our nation.

We already possess the tools to save them. The question is whether we will use them—boldly, equitably, and without delay.

The Power of Prevention—and the Urgency of Inclusion

Cambodia now stands at a critical juncture, a turning point in the fight for the health and well-being of its women. With the welcome support of vital partners such as GAVI, UNICEF, and WHO, the nation has at last begun the crucial rollout of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to girls aged 9 to 14 in October 2023.

This vaccine, a remarkable scientific achievement, offers the potential to prevent up to 90 percent of HPV-related cervical cancers. Its nationwide and effective implementation has the power to fundamentally redefine the landscape of women’s health for generations to come.

Human papillomavirus (HPV), particularly high-risk strains like HPV-16 and HPV-18, is the primary cause of nearly all cases of cervical cancer. The virus is transmitted through sexual contact, and persistent infection can lead to abnormal cell changes in the cervix that may develop into cancer if left untreated.

The HPV vaccine directly targets the very virus that is responsible for almost all cases of cervical cancer. If Cambodia can achieve the World Health Organization’s ambitious yet entirely achievable goal of vaccinating 90 percent of girls by the age of 15, this nation could realistically eliminate cervical cancer as a significant public health threat before the end of this century.

We need only look to countries like Bhutan and Rwanda, who have already demonstrated the art of the possible, achieving vaccination rates exceeding 90 percent and witnessing dramatic reductions in HPV infections. Their success serves as an undeniable challenge to our own efforts.

However, let us not be lulled into a false sense of security; vaccination alone, while critical, is not the complete solution.

Millions of Cambodian women, particularly those in the 30 to 49 age group, remain at immediate and unacceptable risk. The vast majority of these women were born before the advent of the HPV vaccine. Tragically, many have never had the opportunity to be screened for this insidious disease. Consequently, cervical cancer is too often diagnosed at a stage when treatment options are invasive, prohibitively costly, and far less likely to be effective.

This is precisely why the National Cancer Control Plan rightly prioritizes early detection through the implementation of low-cost and readily applicable screening methods such as Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) and HPV DNA testing.

These vital methods not only lend themselves to integration within community health centers but are also particularly well-suited for mobile outreach initiatives that bring services directly to the women who need them most. In rural provinces, where public health infrastructure is often limited and geographic isolation creates significant barriers to care, mobile clinics staffed by trained midwives and community health workers can play a transformative role.

By equipping these teams with the tools and training to perform VIA and collect self-sampled HPV tests, Cambodia can extend lifesaving screening to women who are too often excluded from routine healthcare services. Mobile outreach not only bridges the gap between policy and practice but also builds trust through consistent community engagement—meeting women where they are, both physically and socially.

Cambodia has made a commendable pledge to meet the World Health Organization’s target of screening 70 percent of women by the age of 35 and again by the age of 45.

But let us not mistake aspirational targets for tangible action. Targets alone will not save a single life. We must actively and urgently take screening to the people – establishing clinics within factory settings, organizing community health days that are accessible to all, and launching local awareness campaigns that meet women where they live and work, rather than expecting them to navigate complex and often inaccessible healthcare systems.

Erasing Stigma, Engaging Communities

Yet one of the deepest barriers to progress is not medical—it’s social. Stigma surrounding HPV, a sexually transmitted virus, silences women. Shame prevents many from seeking vaccination or screening. The silence is fatal.

We must reframe the narrative. Cervical cancer is not a moral failure—it is a medical issue. HPV is common, and nearly all sexually active people are exposed at some point. Education campaigns must present the HPV vaccine as what it is: a proven, lifesaving tool against cancer.

Just as importantly, screening must be normalized as part of basic healthcare—no more shameful or secretive than a blood pressure check. Healthcare providers need not only the tools to detect cancer early but also the training to offer nonjudgmental, empathetic care.

Community engagement is essential. Village chiefs, teachers, monks, and women's associations must help lead awareness efforts. Outreach teams can offer free VIA screening door to door. Garment factories can host screening days. Schools can teach girls about the vaccine as a matter of science, not shame.

And men must be included in the solution. While cervical cancer affects women, men are part of the transmission cycle—and must be part of prevention. Fathers, husbands, and brothers can play powerful roles in encouraging vaccination and challenging stigma. Health campaigns must target men in places where they gather—at pagodas, football fields, and beer gardens—and frame cervical cancer prevention as a family responsibility, not just a women’s issue.

Women living with HIV also need special attention. With compromised immune systems, they are six times more likely to develop cervical cancer. Cambodia has made remarkable progress in HIV treatment. Now, it can lead the region by integrating cervical cancer screening into HIV services—so that a woman receiving antiretroviral therapy is also protected against cervical cancer.

We cannot afford to lose momentum. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted HPV vaccination efforts around the world. UNICEF has warned of the steepest drop in routine immunizations in decades. If we do not act now, Southeast Asia could see a 44 percent increase in cervical cancer cases and a 60 percent rise in deaths by 2040. For Cambodia, the consequences would be devastating.

But the reverse is also true: if we scale up vaccination, screening, and education, we can save thousands of lives and become a model for the region.

A Promise We Must Keep

Cambodia’s National Cancer Control Plan represents more than a strategic framework—it embodies a national commitment to reducing preventable suffering. It affirms that stigma should no longer silence women, and that cervical cancer—a disease for which effective prevention methods already exist—must no longer be allowed to claim the lives of mothers, daughters, and sisters across the country.

The necessary tools are available. The scientific knowledge is well established. The collective will is evident. What is now required is coordinated action.

No woman should lose her life to a disease that is entirely preventable. Not in 2025. Not in Cambodia.