Even with the scanty data available, it is evident that cervical cancer is a significant problem and likely to get worse. Sexual behavior and other risk factors such as high or early parity are hard to address in a preventive strategy. Since there is no vaccine for HPV yet and condoms do not appear to provide much protection, screening to detect pre-cancerous lesions is the chief preventive strategy. Because cervical cancer develops slowly and has a detectable and treatable precursor condition, it can be prevented by screening and treating at-risk women. Proper clinical follow-up of women with abnormal cervical findings is critical to program success.
Further research is needed into treatment options appropriate to developing world settings.
Destructive methods such as cryotherapy and excisional methods such as diathermy loop excision of the transformation zone are of particular interest, given their relative low cost and simplicity. While cryotherapy is effective and requires only a small capital cost, it is associated with profuse watery discharge and possible infection afterwards and requires resupply of CO 2 Loop excision is more expensive, is more often associated with bleeding, and requires electricity and anesthesia, but may be more effective with larger lesions. While cytology has been the standard recommended approach to screening, other strategies are being considered in order to address some of the constraints to screening listed above. Adding acetic acid to the cervix, which turns suspect lesions white, improves the sensitivity of visual inspection. Visual inspection aided by magnification in the form of a colposcope or a smaller, low-powered monocular lens is another option being evaluated.