Cervical Cancer

The main cause of cervical cancer is human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a virus that is passed from one person to another through sexual contact. Sexual contact is when someone has contact with another person’s genitals (private parts). This contact can be with the hand, mouth or genitals. Learn more about HPV on the Cervical Screening page.

There are several things you can do to lower your risk of cervical cancer:

Consider HPV Vaccination

The HPV vaccine (Gardasil®) is available at no charge to all Grade 7 students through Ontario’s publicly funded school-based program.

People who do not qualify for the publicly funded school-based program can pay to get the HPV vaccine. If you are a person with a cervix, speak to your doctor, nurse practitioner or midwife about getting the vaccine.

It is best to have the vaccination before you have sexual contact with another person. But even if you have already had sexual contact with another person, you may benefit from the vaccine. The vaccine prevents most, but not all, cervical cancers.

Go for Regular Cervical Screening Tests

The cervical screening test checks for the types of HPV that can sometimes cause cervical cancer. It also checks for cell changes in the cervix caused by these types of HPV.

The cervical screening test has replaced the Pap test because it is better at helping prevent cervical cancer.

Regular screening with the cervical screening test is the best way to lower your chance of getting cervical cancer. Be sure to go for regular cervical screening tests and for more testing after an abnormal test result, if needed.

See the Screening section to find out more, including who should get cervical screening.

Do Not Smoke

The chance of getting cervical cancer increases by up to 80% for someone who is infected with a cancer-causing type of HPV if they also smoke. Smoking weakens the immune system, making it harder for the body to fight off an infection. Smoking is linked to many types of cancer and other diseases. There is no safe kind of commercial tobacco product and no safe amount of smoking.

It is never too late to benefit from quitting smoking. If you are already a non-smoker, keep yourself safe by avoiding other people’s tobacco smoke (second-hand smoke).

If you currently smoke tobacco, take some time to plan to quit smoking. Research suggests that a combination of counselling and medication will give you the best chance at being successful if you try to quit.

For more information about quitting smoking, you can visit the Canadian Cancer Society.

Reduce Your Chance of Getting HPV

80% of people will get HPV at least once in their lifetime. Your chance of being infected with HPV starts as soon as you have sexual contact and goes up with every new sexual partner. Your chance of being infected may also go up if a sexual partner is infected with HPV.

Some research shows that using condoms regularly can help lower the chance of getting cervical cancer because it lowers the chance of getting HPV. But condoms cannot fully protect against HPV or completely prevent cervical cancer.

Cervical screening is testing done on people who are at risk of getting cervical cancer, but who have no symptoms and generally feel fine.

Getting screened regularly is important because it can help you avoid getting cervical cancer.

Who Should Be Screened and How Often?

The Ontario Cervical Screening Program recommends that most people who are eligible for cervical screening get a cervical screening test every 5 years.

People should get screened if they:

• are at least 25 years old
• are a woman, Two-Spirit person, transmasculine person or nonbinary person with a cervix
• have ever had sexual contact with another person
• do not have symptoms, like different bleeding or discharge (clear or yellow fluid) from the vagina (genital opening)
• are due for cervical screening according to the Ontario Cervical Screening Program’s recommendations

People who are eligible should still get screened if they:

• have had the HPV vaccine
• feel healthy
• have been through menopause
• have not had any family members with cervical cancer
• have had sexual contact with only 1 person
• have had the same sexual partner for a long time
• have not had sexual contact in a long time
• have only had protected sexual contact
• are in a same-sex relationship
• are pregnant
• have had a subtotal hysterectomy and kept their cervix

Some people may need to get screened every 3 years if they have a weakened immune system. For example, if they are living with HIV/AIDS or have had an organ transplant.

Most people can stop cervical screening from age 65 to 69. Your doctor, nurse practitioner or midwife can help you decide if you need to be screened after age 69.

To find out more about cervical screening, visit the Cervical Screening page.

Someone may need to get more tests to figure out whether they have cancer. Waiting for test results to come back can be stressful. If you are waiting for a diagnosis, talk to your doctor, nurse practitioner or midwife about managing stress during this time.

For more information about tests for diagnosing cervical cancer, visit the Canadian Cancer Society.

Treatment for cervical cancer will depend on:

• the type of cancer
• the stage of cancer
• which treatments someone chooses to have

Treatments may include:

• surgery
• drug therapy (chemotherapy)
• radiation therapy
• other treatment options
• clinical drug trials

To learn more about types of cervical cancer treatment, visit the Canadian Cancer Society.

Drug Therapy Information

You can learn more about specific cancer drugs using our patient information sheets. These sheets provide information about cancer drug therapies, including what they are used for and how to manage side effects. To find patient information sheets, go to the Drugs page.

You can also see About Chemotherapy for general information about cancer drug therapy.

Quitting Smoking Can Help Your Treatment

It is never too late to quit smoking. Whether you are scheduled to have surgery, radiation treatment or chemotherapy, quitting smoking can help your treatment work better. It can also lower the chance of your cancer coming back or getting another form of cancer. For more information and resources, see Benefits of Quitting Smoking for People with Cancer.

Managing Symptoms and Side Effects

People with cancer may have symptoms related to their cancer or as a side effect of treatment.

Our symptom management guides explain:

• how to recognize symptoms
• what to do and what not to do
• when to contact someone’s healthcare team

The guides are available for people with cancer and for healthcare providers. Each patient guide also comes with links to helpful resources, like courses, books, videos and worksheets.

The side effect information sheets offer tips for people who have side effects from chemotherapy treatment.

If you have cancer, please remember that it is important to discuss any symptoms or concerns with your healthcare team.

• View Symptom and Side Effect Management

Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are scientific studies that test the safety and effectiveness of a medical treatment. Find clinical trials in Canada.

• Clinicaltrials.gov (worldwide)

Palliative Care

Palliative care supports patients and families who are dealing with life-threatening illness. The goal of this care is to relieve suffering so people can have the best possible quality of life. Palliative care should start when someone is diagnosed with a serious illness.

To learn more, go to the Palliative Care page.

When someone’s treatment ends, they move into a new phase of their cancer experience. For many people, a lot of the after-treatment care will be given by healthcare providers in the community, like a family doctor or nurse practitioner.

Follow-Up Care

Follow-up care is the care given after active treatment for cervical cancer is over. It focuses on:

• helping the person recover from the cancer and treatments
• finding cancer early if it comes back

To learn more about follow-up care, visit the Canadian Cancer Society.

Managing Ongoing Symptoms

Someone may have symptoms from cancer for months or years after treatment has ended. These are called long-term effects or late effects.

If you have ongoing symptoms after being treated for cancer, you can find information on how to manage them in our Symptom and Side Effect Management guides.

End-of-Life Care

Each person has a different experience during their final months and days of life. Their symptoms may change as their illness continues, and their needs for information and support will be unique. Family members will also have questions, concerns and needs of their own.

If you are helping a family member through their final months of life, talk to your healthcare team about your questions and concerns as they come up. They can give you information and resources to support you and your family, and help you make decisions and plan for end-of-life care.

For more information, go to the Palliative Care page.

• It is estimated that 669 people will be diagnosed with cervical cancer in Ontario in 2024.
• It is estimated that 159 people will die from cervical cancer in Ontario in 2024.
• After nearly 30 years of lowering or stable rates, the age-standardized rate of new cervical cancers increased from 2014 to 2019.
• Cervical cancer is most common in people ages 40 to 59.