Sweden faces thousands of women with untreated aggressive HPV types

New data show that about 380,000 Swedish women who should have been screened for cervical cancer by 2025 have not been tested for human papillomavirus (HPV). At the same time, roughly 5,700 women diagnosed with aggressive HPV strains (HPV 16 or HPV 18) have not received any follow‑up, putting them at a high risk of developing cancer – about 1 % may progress within a year, which translates to around 60 cases.

Follow‑up rates vary widely across regions: 15 % of women with a positive HPV test in Östergötland have not been monitored, while in Värmland the figure is below 3 %. Other regions such as Västmanland, Blekinge and Dalarna perform better. The country is rolling out self‑sampling for HPV, with 254,000 women performing home tests in 2025. A national project launched in 2021 aims to combine vaccination (for women born 1994‑1999) with HPV testing to eradicate cervical cancer. The goal is for 90 % of women aged 23‑70 to be screened by December 2026, positioning Sweden to become the first nation to eliminate cervical cancer by 2027.