Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

Each year, 250 women in B.C. are diagnosed with cervical cancer. While there are few to no symptoms, there is a highly effective vaccine that protects against human papilloma virus (HPV) — a common sexually transmitted infection that causes cervical cancer.

BC Cancer also offers two cervical screening choices — a self-screening option and a Pap test — to detect cancer early, when its highly treatable, or stop it before it develops.

Here are five ways BC Cancer has advanced cervical cancer research and care:

1. In 1955, BC Cancer established the first cervical cancer screening program in the world, leading to a 61% decrease in incidence and mortality due to cervical cancer.

2. In 2020, BC Cancer researchers — using tumour samples from women in Uganda where incidence of cervical cancer is on the rise — uncovered why some human papilloma virus (HPV) strains may lead to more aggressive forms of cervical cancer. The results of this research may lead to a better understanding of other HPV-associated cancers, such as head and neck cancers.

3. In 2024, B.C. was the first in Canada to launch a province-wide cervix self-screening option. The self-swab kit screens for the presence of HPV and can be completed at home or at a health care provider. It’s easy to do on your own and only takes a few minutes. In its first year, 132,901 kits were requested, including 22,893 (17.2%) from people who had never been screened before.

4. With donor support, BC Cancer – Kelowna developed a first-in-Canada 3D printing approach to create patient-specific brachytherapy applicators for cervical and other gynecological cancers. Brachytherapy is a specialized form of internal radiation that delivers higher doses directly to the tumour. Using MRI and CT scans, the printer produces custom applicators that help clinicians target tumours more precisely while reducing radiation to healthy tissue.

5. In 2026, BC Cancer’s Gynecological Cancer Initiative (GCI) is helping lead Canada’s goal to eliminate cervical cancer. B.C. scientists have shaped national and global prevention policy by boosting vaccination uptake and advancing cost-effective screening — including proving that two HPV vaccine doses are as effective as three, and that HPV testing (99% sensitivity) has a higher detection rate for when precancerous cell are present compared to the Pap test (50–60%).