Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer

Cervical cancer develops in a woman’s cervix (the entrance to the uterus from the vagina).  

Almost all cervical cancer cases (99%) are linked to infection with high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV), an extremely common virus transmitted through sexual contact.

Although most infections with HPV resolve spontaneously and cause no symptoms, persistent infection can cause cervical cancer in women.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women. In 2018, an estimated 570 000 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer worldwide and about 311 000 women died from the disease.

Effective primary (HPV vaccination) and secondary prevention approaches (screening for, and treating precancerous lesions) will prevent most cervical cancer cases.

When diagnosed, cervical cancer is one of the most successfully treatable forms of cancer, as long as it is detected early and managed effectively. Cancers diagnosed in late stages can also be controlled with appropriate treatment and palliative care.

With a comprehensive approach to prevent, screen and treat, cervical cancer can be eliminated as a public health problem within a generation

No woman should die from cervical cancer. We have the technical, medical and policy tools and approaches to eliminate it.

The burden of cervical cancer falls on the women who lack access to health services, mainly in low-and middle income countries, like Nigeria for example

Immunizing against HPV

Cervical cancer is caused by sexually acquired infection with certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV).

Most infections with HPV resolve spontaneously and cause no symptoms. However, persistent infection can cause cervical cancer in women. Virtually all cervical cancer cases (99%) are linked to genital infection with HPV,  the most common viral infection of the reproductive tract. HPV can also cause other types of anogenital cancer, head and neck cancers, and genital warts in both men and women. HPV infections are transmitted through sexual contact.

An effective and safe vaccine against the two cancer-causing types of HPV, the main cause of cervical cancer, exists. Being vaccinated against HPV types 16 and 18 significantly reduces the risk of developing cervical cancer. 

HPV vaccination is the most cost-effective public health measure against cervical cancer. The Draft Global Strategy for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer as a public health problem recommends vaccination for girls before the age of 15.

In addition to vaccination, WHO recommends screening for pre-cancerous lesions of the cervix, which if diagnosed and treated, also prevent cervical cancer. The WHO recommendation is for two screening tests, by age 35 and by age 45, with treatment to remove screen-detected precancerous lesions.