Epidemiology

Women everywhere are at risk of developing cervical cancer. A woman dies of the disease every 2 minutes, and worldwide it is the second most prevalent cancer in women between 15 and 44 years of age.

There is considerable geographical variation in the prevalence, incidence and mortality of cervical cancer (Ferlay et al 2004).

(Reference: Ferlay et al 2004)

Both the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer vary by age, with many young women affected. Around 30% of new cervical cancer diagnoses occur in women under the age of 45 (Ferlay et al 2004), and in some countries the incidence of cervical cancer is rising in younger women (Vizcaino et al 1998; Vizcaino et al 2000). There is also a bimodal peak in the incidence of cervical cancer in some countries, including the UK, where the rate is at its highest in women aged 40-44 and 75-79 (Cancer Research UK 2005).

The lifetime risk of cervical cancer is higher in countries without well-established screening programmes, which can identify abnormal and pre-cancerous cells on the cervix (Schiller and Davies 2004; Franco et al 2001). However, although well-established screening programmes have reduced the incidence of cervical cancer by 80% in some countries (Schiller and Davies 2004), these programmes do not prevent HPV infection, and the lifetime risk of cervical cancer is still significant (Boyle and Ferlay 2005).

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