Exciting learning opportunities, open to everyone

#2612 Conquering Cervical Cancer

Speaker Margaret Sage

Date Saturday 20th June 2026  10am-1pm

Venue Waikanae Presbyterian Church Hall, 43 Ngaio Road, Waikanae

Dr Margaret Sage is a cytopathologist with a focus on gynaecological cytology and cervical cancer prevention. She has worked as an anatomic lab pathologist and coordinated a national training programme covering cervical cytology, histology and HPV testing. Recently she has been employed as the National Cervical Screening Programme (NCSP) clinical lead in pathology during the transition to HPV primary screening.

Changing cervical screening from cytology to a Human Papillomavirus (HPV) test in 2023 is achieving better outcomes while costing less and being easier to administer. It’s a game-changer, particularly for the unscreened and under-screened. Margaret will discuss the story of cervical cancer prevention in NZ including the success of national cytology screening, the explosion of knowledge about HPV and research showing that HPV screening prevents more cancers than cytology screening. The highly effective HPV vaccine that prevents cervical cancer is an international success and prevents oropharyngeal and anal cancers also. HPV vaccination is for everyone.

While New Zealand is close to meeting the World Health Organisation (WHO) threshold for cervical cancer elimination, significant ethnic disparities remain. The elimination goal will only be achieved when the threshold is reached for Māori and Pacific peoples, as well as for the total population. The path has not been easy, but we now have the tools to reach this remarkable goal.