ABSTRACT

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide (471,000 annual cases, 233,000 deaths) after breast cancer (1). Almost 80% cases occur in lessdeveloped countries, where cervical cancer accounts for 15% of cancer in women. In more developed countries, it accounts for only 4.2% of new cancers. Age-adjusted incidence rates vary from 10/100,000 in many industrialized nations to more than 40/ 100,000 per year in developing countries (2).