Cervical cancer is central to the emerging cancer pandemic in low- and middle-income countries. This malignancy is caused by a chronic infection of selected types of the human papilloma virus (HPV). In 2008 cervical cancer was the fourth leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide, and the leading cause of cancer death in Africa and Southeast Asia. The number of lives lost to this preventable disease is a global failure of the largest scale if one considers that the health system in western and high income countries have developed very efficient programmes to prevent, detect, and treat cervical cancer which, in fact, have reduced disease incidence and mortality. In 2008, cervical cancer caused an estimated 275,100 deaths globally. Ninety percent of these deaths occurred in developing parts of the world, where access to screening and treatment are often non-existent and adolescent girls are not receiving vaccination for HPV. The HPV vaccine represents a major tool for primary prevention of the disease as it can prevent up to 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. Moreover, cost-effective procedures are now available to detect and treat cervical pre-cancer thus promoting secondary prevention. We ought to promote public awareness about cervical cancer in African countries, educate health professionals, and improve access to screening. Issues that are critical to cervical cancer screening are public awareness (by women and local general practitioners), diagnostic capacity (in terms of availability of properly trained people in cytology and gynaecologists capable of managing cervical cancer and precancer), updating treatment modalities and outlets, the network of referral centres, and HIV coinfection.
