IARC marks Cervical Cancer Awareness Month 2021

Throughout January, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) will mark Cervical Cancer Awareness Month by highlighting the latest estimates of the burden of cervical cancer and explaining how the Agency supports the World Health Organization (WHO) global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem.

In 2020, an estimated 604 000 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer worldwide and about 342 000 women died from the disease. Persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) types is the main cause of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable and treatable forms of cancer, because vaccines exist that protect against high-risk HPV types and screening programmes can detect signs of disease at an early stage, allowing for effective treatment and management of the condition.

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