Montreal MUHC Foundation highlights research into women’s health for cervical cancer awareness month

According to projections released last year by the Canadian Cancer Society, more than 1,600 women in Canada were expected to be diagnosed with cervical cancer, with 430 of those diagnoses estimated to end in death.

That’s why the team at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) Foundation is coming together during January’s Cervical Cancer Awareness Month to shine a light on women’s health in Quebec.

“About five years ago, I was pregnant with my daughter, and we found out that I actually had cervical cancer,” said Jennifer Curan, a cervical cancer survivor & member of the LDC & women’s health committee with the MUHC Foundation.

“I actually had been diagnosed with HPV about 15 years ago. So I had to get a very special test. It was actually a friend of mine who insisted to all her girlfriends, like, just go get this test. And I did it and unfortunately it came up positive, but at the time it was treated and I was told it was all clear. So following the immediate protocols after that, it was just to have the regular PAP test like anybody else. Unfortunately, the PAP test didn’t pick up after that when it came back,” she went on to explain.

Dr. Annie Leung, a gynecologic oncologist & scientist with the Research Institute MUHC, says, “The human papilloma virus is very common. Eight in ten individuals have contracted it in their lifetime, so it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. And we know that it causes the majority of cervical cancer.”

Kim Cavener, the director of strategic giving with the MUHC Foundation, added, “We launched a $5 million campaign knowing that, in fact, only for women’s health research, they receive only seven percent of federal health research funding in Canada. So it was very important for us to address that gap.”

The campaign follows a breakthrough in testing revealed in March 2025, when Ontario introduced a new primary HPV test to better detect cancer-causing HPVs, so that patients like Curan with a seemingly cured HPV diagnosis don’t end up with cervical cancer later in their lives.

“What we have learned is that we can actually detect this virus in our new HPV test, and that can potentially replace the cytology, the traditional pap smear that you probably have heard about, where the HPV test is going to be more accurate in identifying women at risk of developing cervical abnormalities,” said Dr. Leung.

Now, experts in Quebec say they’re aiming to complete the rollout of the new screening test across the province, catching up to other provinces that followed suit.

“They’re still in the process of rolling it out, but at least within Montreal, the system and the labs are ready to go, and 14 out of the 17 regions within Quebec is ready to go. So we are almost there!” said Dr. Leung.

Curan added, “Having this test ahead of time that Dr. Lung is working on would have made a huge difference in my life and in my journey.”

Luckily, she remains cancer free to this day, after they removed her cancer just after she gave birth to her first baby girl five years ago.

Experts also note the importance of the rollout of the screening test for women living in Northern and remote Indigenous communities, which they say have among the highest cervical cancer rates in Canada.

“I’m very fortunate to be working with the Indigenous Health Center in Urban Montreal in order to do some of the outreach education and offer screening to women. This is an early but an important step towards being able to reach all the indigenous women who need cervical cancer screening,” said Dr. Leung.

Thanks to investments in the work of researchers like Dr. Leung, who focuses on women’s health issues, care for women from all over Canada – including those in remote communities – will start to be more accessible.

“Dr. Annie Lung who is a gynecologist oncologist, and she is actually launching an at home test for improved results on detecting early detection of HPV and cervical cancer results. So we are very thrilled for that project!” said Cavener.

Dr. Leung added, “Right now, British Columbia is the only one that has to self-test, and I foresee that in the next year or two, Quebec would follow as well.”