“I thought it was just stress and fatigue. I never imagined it could be cancer.”
Grace, a teacher and mother of three, recalls the moment her symptoms were finally given a name. What began as occasional abnormal bleeding and pelvic discomfort was easy to ignore amid daily responsibilities. Like many women, she delayed seeking care until the pain became unbearable. When she eventually visited a health facility, she was diagnosed with advanced cervical cancer. The diagnosis shattered her sense of security. Grace survived after months of exhausting treatment, but her journey left a lasting mark. Today, she speaks out so other women will not make the same mistake. “If I had known about screening earlier,” she says, “this could have been prevented.”
Grace’s story mirrors the experience of thousands of women across Africa. Cervical cancer remains one of the most significant causes of cancer-related illness and death among women on the continent. Globally, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women, with an estimated 660,000 new cases and approximately 350,000 deaths reported in 2022 (World Health Organization [WHO], 2024). The disease burden is not evenly distributed. Nearly ninety-four percent of cervical cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, where access to prevention, screening, and treatment services is limited (WHO, 2024).
In sub-Saharan Africa, cervical cancer is consistently ranked among the leading causes of cancer death in women (International Agency for Research on Cancer [IARC], 2023). Nigeria bears a particularly heavy burden, with national estimates indicating over 12,000 new cases and nearly 8,000 deaths each year, making cervical cancer one of the most common and deadliest cancers affecting Nigerian women (IARC, 2023). These statistics are especially tragic because cervical cancer is almost entirely preventable.
Persistent infection with high-risk types of the human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for nearly all cases of cervical cancer (WHO, 2024). HPV is a common sexually transmitted infection, and most infections resolve spontaneously. However, when high-risk HPV infections persist, they can cause precancerous changes in the cervix that may progress to invasive cancer over many years. This slow progression provides a critical opportunity for prevention and early detection.
HPV vaccination is one of the most effective tools for preventing cervical cancer. Clinical and population-based studies have demonstrated that HPV vaccines protect against the virus types responsible for approximately seventy percent of cervical cancer cases worldwide (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2023). Countries that have achieved high HPV vaccination coverage are already seeing dramatic reductions in HPV infections and cervical precancerous lesions. Despite this strong evidence, HPV vaccine uptake in many African countries remains low due to limited access, inadequate awareness, and widespread misinformation.
Screening is equally vital. Cervical cancer screening methods, including Pap smears, HPV DNA testing, and visual inspection with acetic acid, are proven to detect precancerous lesions before symptoms appear. Evidence shows that organized screening programs can reduce cervical cancer incidence and mortality by more than eighty percent through early detection and timely treatment (American Cancer Society [ACS], 2023). Unfortunately, screening coverage across Africa remains unacceptably low, particularly among women in rural and underserved communities.
Multiple barriers contribute to this gap. Social stigma surrounding women’s reproductive health discourages open discussion and delays care-seeking. Many women fear diagnosis, discrimination, or abandonment. Structural barriers such as distance to health facilities, shortages of trained health workers, and out-of-pocket costs further limit access to screening and treatment. These challenges are compounded by misinformation, which fuels fear and hesitancy around both screening and HPV vaccination.
Ending cervical cancer requires action at every level. Women must be empowered with accurate, accessible information and encouraged to prioritize routine screening even in the absence of symptoms. Families and communities must support girls to receive HPV vaccination and normalize conversations about cervical health. Policymakers and health leaders must invest in sustainable national screening programs, expand vaccine access, and ensure that services reach the most marginalized populations.
Grace’s message is simple but urgent. “Don’t wait for pain to tell you something is wrong,” she says. “Go for screening when you feel well. Knowledge saved my life, even though it came late.”
This Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, her story reminds us that cervical cancer is preventable, screening saves lives, and knowledge is power. With collective commitment and evidence-based action, ending cervical cancer in our lifetime is not just possible, it is achievable.
Written by: Mrs Ogechukwu Akabuike
References
- American Cancer Society. (2023). Cervical cancer prevention and early detection. https://www.cancer.org
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). HPV and cancer. https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/hpv
- International Agency for Research on Cancer. (2023). Global Cancer Observatory: Cervical cancer fact sheet. https://gco.iarc.fr
- World Health Organization. (2024). Cervical cancer: Fact sheet. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cervical-cancer
