January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

JOIN WITH THE AACR TO FIND BETTER WAYS TO prevent and TREAT CERVICAL CANCER

While cervical cancer rates in the United States have dropped over the past few decades, the National Cancer Institute projected that approximately 13,360 individuals were diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2025, and 4,320 died from the disease.

vACCINES TO PREVENT Cervical Cancer

For the most part, cervical cancer is a preventable disease. Nearly all cases of cervical cancer are caused by infections with high-risk strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV). Fortunately, the HPV vaccine currently used in the United States, Gardasil 9, can protect against seven high-risk HPV strains responsible for causing cancer and two known for causing genital warts.

The HPV vaccine is approved for males and females ages 9 to 45, with recommendations that they should get the first dose at age 11 or 12. Research has shown that cervical cancer incidence is declining rapidly in young women who were most likely to have received the HPV vaccines. For instance, a study showed that in women under 25 years old in the United States, cervical cancer incidence decreased by 65% from 2012 to 2019.

Early detection through screening

In addition to preventative vaccines, screening tests can detect cancer at an early stage, when treatment is more effective than at a later point. Even precancerous conditions can be detected and treated.

Screening includes the well-known “Pap test” or “Pap smear.” This can detect cells that might indicate that cancer is present. Another test can detect an infection with high-risk HPV.

In May 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first at-home device for Pap smears, where individuals can collect samples themselves and send them in for tests. The year prior, the FDA approved the use of two other self-collection tests within a health care setting. Learn more about these options on Cancer Research Catalyst, the official blog of the AACR.

Screening recommendations

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that women should start getting Pap tests every three years, beginning at age 21. From 30 to 65 years of age, the USPSTF recommends either the Pap test alone every three years; a high-risk HPV test alone every five years; or “cotesting” with both every five years. Testing isn’t recommended for most women over 65.

More on cervical cancer

  • National guidelines say that most women can stop screening for cervical cancer after age 65 if they have a history of negative screening results. However, a study published in the AACR journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention suggested that cervical cancer in women who are past the age of regular screening is more likely to be at a later stage of the disease. AACR’s Cancer Today magazine reported on the study and what it means for older women.
  • At the AACR Annual Meeting 2025, Aimée R. Kreimer, PhD, of the National Cancer Institute, reported results from a trial that found one dose of either Cervarix or Gardasil 9 was no less effective than two doses in protecting against HPV16/18 infection, with either dosage resulting in at least 97% vaccine efficacy. Learn more on Cancer Research Catalyst.
  • While some vaccines are designed to prevent cervical cancer from developing, researchers are also exploring the use of a therapeutic vaccine to treat people who have already developed precancerous lesions due to HPV infection as an alternative to removing those lesions via surgery. Learn more on Cancer Research Catalyst.
  • Experts believe that cervical cancer can be virtually eliminated. On Cancer Research Catalyst, you can learn more about how researchers are implementing creative solutions around the world to vaccinate, screen, and treat patients with cervical cancer.

What the AACR Is Doing in The Area of cervical cancer research

The AACR is currently supporting research for cervical cancer under the Beginning Investigator Grant for Catalytic Research (BIG Cat) Initiative. Ijeoma M. Ifeorah, PhD, an assistant professor at the Center for Translation and Implementation Research University of Nigeria, received a BIG Cat grant in 2024. She is conducting research on “phylogenetic and evolution analysis of high-risk HPV in women with HIV.”

For more information

Please see our page on cervical cancer, including information on prevention, screening, and treatment.