Cervical cancer screening among women living with HIV

With an estimated 570 000 cases and 311 000 deaths worldwide in 2018, cervical cancer ranks as the fourth most frequently diagnosed cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths among women. It is the second most common type of cancer among women living in low- and middle-income countries.

In high-income countries, programmes are in place that enable women to get screened, making most precancerous lesions identifiable at stages when they can easily be treated and cured. Achieving high coverage of screening of women - and treatment of precancerous lesions detected by screening - can ensure a low incidence of invasive cervical cancer in high-income countries.

Women living with HIV are more vulnerable than HIV-negative women to being affected by cervical cancer and to developing invasive cancer. Invasive cervical cancer is an AIDS-defining condition and the most common cancer among women living with HIV. Compared to women not living with HIV, women living with HIV are up to five times more likely to develop invasive cervical cancer. For these reasons, screening women living with HIV is important. This can prevent up to 80% of the cases of cervical cancer in these countries.