A careful balance has to be reached between referring too many women, with the risk of unnecessary anxiety and over-treatment, and referring too few, with the risk that potentially serious abnormalities go untreated for too long. There are two main methods of treatment. The abnormal cells in the cervix may be destroyed using laser ablation or cold coagulation treatments or the abnormality may be cut away using loop diathermy or laser excision. Loop diathermy, where a thin wire loop cuts through and removes the abnormal area, is the most common treatment. Hysterectomy is not usually necessary for abnormal cells in the cervix.
Treatment aims to preserve a woman's fertility and ability to have children wherever possible.
For the few women who have cancer, surgery is the main form of treatment for localised cases. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy may be used for more extensive disease.