Colposcopy and cervical cancer screening

Abstract

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer for women, with 604 000 new cases and 342 000 deaths worldwide in 2020. In the United Kingdom, there were approximately 25 000 new cases a year between 2016 and 2018. The World Health Organization aims to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem by 2023. It has been estimated that the incidence of cervical cancer dropped by more than 50% from the 1970 s to the 2000 s, which is attributed to early intervention opportunities created by screening programmes. The majority (>99%) of cervical cancer is associated with human papilloma virus (HPV). Therefore, HPV vaccination along with cervical cancer screening and colposcopy play a significant role in prevention, early detection and management of cervical cancer.

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