Cervical cancer, caused by infection with some type of human papillomavirus (HPV), is the leading cancer-related cause of death among women in developing countries.

The disease affects an estimated 500,000 women every year and kills a nearly quarter million worldwide. Eighty percent of the cases occur in developing countries where women have limited access to screening and treatment services.

"Among the most tragic public health failures of the last decade are the preventable deaths of young women in developing countries from maternal mortality and cervical cancer," says Sue J. Goldie, a professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health.

HIV positive women are significantly more susceptible to having an HPV infection turn into cervical cancer.

This is despite the fact that there are tools available that can reverse this trend. Many governments in the affected countries have not prioritized the problem of cervical cancer in their national and health programs.

"We are now facing unprecedented opportunities to prevent these unnecessary and tragic deaths. In fact, recent concerted efforts have been made to assemble, synthesize, and interpret the available data with an eye towards actionable steps, and to comprehensively reflect on what has worked and what has not," says Goldie. "Moreover, researchers, public health scientists, and policymakers are beginning to engage with the distinct purpose of agreeing on the most promising strategic approaches to eradicating preventable deaths in women."

In developing countries, the vast majority of women with cervical cancer are diagnosed in late stages of the condition, and usually have little chances for long-term survival. To make matters worse, treatment for cervical cancer is rarely available even where the condition has been diagnosed.

"Unlike most cancers, cervical cancer is preventable through screening to detect and treat precancerous lesions. A conventional screening program, based on the cytological examination of cervical smears, can require up to three visits: an initial screening visit, colposcopic evaluation of abnormalities, and treatment. In countries that have been able to achieve broad cervical cancer screening coverage using cytology at frequent intervals, deaths have decreased considerably," says Goldie.

For many developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where poverty is endemic, and where health systems are in a state of dilapidation, cervical cancer is killing more women than necessary.

"In the vast majority of resource-poor settings such screening programs have proven difficult to implement and sustain due to a lack of human, technical, and monetary resources, and often inadequate health infrastructure," says Goldie. "Additionally, the requirement for multiple visits, together with the need to screen at frequent intervals, has made it impossible to implement and sustain widespread organized screening in most poor countries."

There's need for a greater awareness of the severity of cervical cancer among women in developing countries. Also, there's need for low-cost interventions that can be applied over a wide-scale.