Experience and Evidence: Survivors for Cervical Cancer Prevention

18 June, 2026

June is National Cancer Survivors Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the millions of individuals who have lived through a cancer diagnosis and to draw inspiration from their personal stories. 

For cervical cancer survivors, this can go beyond sharing a difficult journey. We’ve seen it all around the world: cervical cancer survivors are the most powerful advocates for prevention. No woman who has experienced this disease wants to see another go down that path. And some survivors feel a special calling to make the case for effective prevention: vaccination, screening, and treatment. 

More than ever, evidence shows that preventive services are critically important to reducing new cancer cases. In the twenty years since the release of the first vaccines against the cancer-causing human papillomavirus (HPV), real-world data shows them driving down new cases of cervical cancer. In fact, modeling suggests that HPV vaccines save more lives per vaccination than any other vaccine in Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance’s global immunization portfolio. 

HPV vaccines can provide lifelong protection if administered during adolescence, but holistically tackling cervical cancer includes screening and preventive treatment for all adult women as well. Until recently, effective screening could only be done in a healthcare setting, requiring women to undergo a cytology test such as a pap smear, or visual inspection. Screening every woman is a challenge even in the United States, where 25% of women don’t receive a regular cervical cancer screening, and 60% of women diagnosed with cervical cancer have been screened too infrequently, if ever. 

Newer, more effective tests for cancer-causing strains of HPV can determine a women’s risk with a simple swab sample that can often be self-administered, reducing the burden both on the woman herself and on healthcare providers. And precancerous lesions that can progress to cervical cancer can be removed quickly and safely via targeted heat or cold therapy. Screening and treating early can mean the difference between survival and tragedy. 

This was a major topic of discussion at an April training TogetHER for Health organized in Birmingham, Alabama with our partners at VAX 2 STOP CANCER and the Laura Crandall Brown Foundation. We gathered several women’s cancer survivors in Alabama to discuss their experiences and build their skills as vocal champions for women’s health. Meet some of these courageous survivors in our new video. 

Investments in biomedical research and implementation science have given us the means to prevent – and even eliminate – cervical cancer. Cancer survivors are able to supplement scientific evidence with their personal experiences to effectively inspire action for prevention.

During National Cancer Survivors Month, we celebrate the power of survivors to bring us closer to a world without cervical cancer deaths.