Tobacco and Cervical Cancer

Cigarettes cause cervical cancer.^{Footnote 1}

• Key facts about tobacco use and cervical cancer
• What is cervical cancer?
• How does tobacco use increase the risk of cervical cancer?
• How does quitting reduce the risk of cervical cancer?
• Health benefits of quitting tobacco use at any age
• Call for free help to quit

Key facts about tobacco use and cervical cancer

• Someone who smokes is twice as likely to develop certain subtypes of cervical cancer, such as invasive cervical cancer, compared to someone who does not smoke.^{Footnote 2}
• The risk of cervical cancer increases with the numbers of years smoked and the amount of cigarettes smoked per day.^{Footnote 3}
• Approximately 26% of cervical cancer cases were due to smoking in 2015.^{Footnote 4}
• In 2022, it was estimated there would be 1,450 new cases of cervical cancer in Canada (excluding Quebec), and 380 cervical cancer deaths.^{Footnote 5}
• In Canada (excluding Quebec), 26% of individuals diagnosed with cervical cancer are predicted to die within five years, according to 2015-2017 data.^{Footnote 6}

View health-related messages for all tobacco product packaging.

What is cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer is a mass, or tumor, which forms in the cervix. The cervix is the lower portion of the uterus, connecting the uterus to the vagina.

Almost all cervical cancers are caused by a viral infection from the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is most commonly spread through sexual contact. An HPV infection can persist for many years. In some cases, the virus may cause normal cells in the cervix to become cancerous, leading to cervical cancer.^{Footnote 7}

Symptoms of cervical cancer usually appear once the cancer has spread to nearby tissues. Symptoms include heavy menstrual bleeding, bleeding between periods or after menopause, pain during intercourse, and unexplained pelvic or back pain.^{Footnote 8}

Treatment for cervical cancer may include surgery to remove some or all of the cervix, uterus, upper vagina, and ovaries. Radiation or chemotherapy treatment is determined by the severity and location of the cancer.^{Footnote 9}

How does tobacco use increase the risk of cervical cancer?

Some of the chemicals contained in tobacco smoke have the potential to cause genetic changes in the cells of the cervix. This can lead to the development of cervical cancer.^{Footnote 1Footnote 10} Smoking exposes the cervix to harmful cancer-causing chemicals, increasing the risk of cancer.

Smoking increases the risk of developing an HPV infection. If someone has an HPV infection, smoking weakens the immune system, making it harder for the body to fight the infection.^{Footnote 1Footnote 10}

How does quitting reduce the risk of cervical cancer?

When someone stops smoking, their risk of cervical cancer starts to decrease and continues to decrease the longer they stay smoke-free.^{Footnote 11} If someone who smoked has quit for 20 or more years, their risk of cervical cancer is the same as someone who has never smoked.^{Footnote 2}

Quitting is one of the best ways to avoid the development of cervical cancer and other tobacco-related diseases.^{Footnote 11}

If someone who smokes has cervical cancer, quitting can still benefit them. Quitting can improve recovery for cancer patients.^{Footnote 12}

Continuing to smoke after a cancer diagnosis can lower chances of survival and increase the risk for other cancers caused by tobacco smoke, such as lung cancer.^{Footnote 12}

Health benefits of quitting tobacco use at any age

Quitting tobacco use reduces the risk of premature death, improves health, and enhances quality of life.^{Footnote 11} Quitting at any age is beneficial to one's health.^{Footnote 11} Even people who have smoked or used tobacco heavily for many years benefit from it.^{Footnote 1Footnote 11} Quitting is the most important thing someone who smokes can do to improve their health.

Read more about the benefits of quitting smoking.

Call for free help to quit

Call the toll-free pan-Canadian quit line at 1-866-366-3667. Quit line counselling, alone or in combination with cessation medications, increases success in quitting.^{Footnote 11}