Cervical Cancer Prevention (PDQ®)

Last modified: 2015-10-23
Last downloaded: 2016-01-22


What is prevention?




Different ways to prevent cancer are being studied, including:

  • Changing lifestyle or eating habits.
  • Avoiding things known to cause cancer.

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General Information About Cervical Cancer




Cervical cancer usually develops slowly over time. Before cancer appears in the cervix, the cells of the cervix go through a series of changes in which cells that are not normal begin to appear in the cervicaltissue. When cells change from being normal cells to abnormal cells, it is called dysplasia. Depending on the number of abnormal cells, dysplasia may go away without treatment. The more abnormal cells there are, the less likely they are to go away. Over time, dysplasia that is not treated may turn into cancer. The cancer cells grow and spread through the cervix. It can take many years for dysplasia to turn into cancer.

See the following PDQ summaries for more information about cervical cancer:

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Cervical Cancer Prevention


Avoiding risk factors and increasing protective factors may help prevent cancer.



The following are risk factors for cervical cancer:

HPV infection 

Infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common cause of cervical cancer. HPV infections that cause cervical cancer are spread through sexual contact. There are more than 80 types of human papillomavirus and about 30 of these can infect the cervix. HPV types 16 and 18 are most often linked to cervical cancer.

Most of the time, the body’s immune system can fight the HPV infection. Only a very small number of women infected with HPV develop cervical cancer.

Having a weakened immune system 

Having a weakened immune system caused by immunosuppression increases the risk of HPV infection and cervical cancer. Immunosuppression is a condition in which the body's immune system is weakened and its ability to fight infections and other diseases is lessened. Long-term immunosuppression may increase the risk of cervical cancer because it lowers the body's ability to fight HPV infection.

Immunosuppression can be caused by the following:

  • Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This virus causes AIDS and weakens the body's immune system. Women who are infected with the HIV virus have an increased risk of HPV infection and cervical cancer compared with women who are not infected with HIV.
  • Medicine to prevent organ rejection after transplant. Women who have an organ transplant are given medicine to weaken the body’s immune system and help prevent organ rejection.

DES exposure 


In women with HPV infection, other risk factors are also associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer. 

Many full-term pregnancies  


Long-term use of oral contraceptives 



Women who either smoke cigarettes or breathe in secondhand smoke have an increased risk of cervical cancer. The risk increases with the number of cigarettes smoked per day and how long the woman has smoked. Among women infected with HPV, current and former smokers have 2 to 3 times the risk of cervical dysplasia and invasive cervical cancer.


The following protective factors decrease the risk of cervical cancer:

Avoiding sexual activity 

Almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by HPV infection, which is spread through sexual activity. Cervical cancer is seen more often in women who are sexually active at an early age and who have multiple sexual partners.

Getting an HPV vaccine 




Using barrier protection during sexual activity 








