Cervical Cancer Prevention Week is 19–25 January, making this month the perfect time to learn more about the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide.

Although cervical cancer is largely preventable with vaccination and highly curable with early detection and treatment, around 660,000 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed globally each year. In the UK, 3,300 new cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed on average from 2017 to 2019, and 890 deaths occurred from 2021 to 2023.

Health Edco is committed to creating and providing engaging educational materials and models to help inform audiences about cervical cancer and the importance of cervical cancer prevention. Read on to learn five key facts about cervical cancer, and discover a few of our teaching tools to raise cervical cancer awareness.

Almost all cases of cervical cancer result from a long-term infection with certain high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is an extremely common sexually transmitted infection that usually resolves on its own without causing any health problems. However, a long-lasting infection caused by a high-risk type of HPV can lead to precancerous changes in cervical cells that can progress to cervical cancer without treatment.

Our Pap Tests, Cervical Cancer, and HPV Folding Display explains what HPV is and that it is the cause of almost all causes of cervical cancer. The folding display also covers the importance of cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination.

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection can weaken the immune system, making it harder for the body to fight an HPV infection. A weaker immune system can make a woman more susceptible to HPV infection, and it could put her at greater risk of developing invasive (advanced) cervical cancer more quickly than someone with a stronger immune system. Invasive cervical cancer is an AIDS-defining condition, which means that if a woman who has HIV develops invasive cervical cancer, her HIV infection is considered to have progressed to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), the most advanced stage of HIV infection.

Our HIV/AIDS Consequences 3-D Display uses 3-D cervical models of a healthy cervix and a cervix with invasive cancer to discuss how a woman’s body weakened by HIV is less able to fight HPV infection and more likely to develop cervical cancer if infected with HPV. The display also emphasises the importance of following an HIV treatment plan to prevent progression to late-stage HIV infection (AIDS).

The HPV vaccine is available to provide protection against most of the high-risk types of HPV that can cause HPV-related cancers (including cervical cancer) as well as low-risk types of HPV that cause most cases of genital warts. In addition to cervical cancer, HPV can cause cancers of the vulva, vagina, anus, penis, and throat. In the UK, the vaccine is routinely offered for girls and boys ages 12 and 13. Vaccination is most effective before young people are exposed to HPV through sexual contact. Men who have sex with men who are age 45 or younger are also eligible to receive the HPV vaccine up to their 46th birthday.

Our Feel for Yourself: Cervix Conditions Display features five soft cervix models and tells viewers to discuss cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination with their healthcare professionals. The five palpable models depict a normal cervix, a cervix with a benign polyp, a cervix with early noninvasive cancer, a cervix with early stage invasive cancer, and a cervix with later stage invasive cancer.

Cervical cancer screening can detect abnormal changes in cervical cells that can be watched or treated to prevent cervical cancer from developing. One screening test is an HPV test that looks for infection with the types of HPV that can cause cervical cancer. A Pap test is another screening test that looks for changes to cervical cells that may progress to cancer or already be cancerous. The HPV and Pap tests may be performed together. Some HPV tests can be self-administered.

Our See for Yourself: Why Cervical Cancer Screening Can Save Your Life Easel Display features six cervical models ranging from a normal cervix to a cervix with advanced invasive cancer. It highlights the importance of cervical cancer screening and treating precancerous cervical conditions before they progress to cancer.