Cervical Cancer Screening and Prevention for HIV-Infected Women in the Developing World

Abstract

Cervical cancer ranks as the third most common cancer in women worldwide and is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in women, with an estimated 270,000 deaths annually. Over 85% of both cervical cancer cases and deaths occur in developing countries with only 5% of global cancer resources (Lancet 2010). Cervical cancer is the most common cancer in women in most developing countries and most common cause of cancer deaths (Cervical Cancer Action: Report Card 2011). It is the leading cause of years of life lost to cancer in low resource settings (Yang et al. 2004). In sub-Saharan Africa cervical cancer represents 22% of all cancers in women (Parkin et al. 2003).