By Dr. Liji Thomas, MD Reviewed by Lauren Hardaker Jan 15 2026 Even as age-standardized death rates fall, population growth and deep social divides keep cervical cancer deadly. Study: Global burden and projections of cervical cancer attributable to unsafe sex and smoking, 1990–2034 . Image credit: StudioLaMagica/Shutterstock.com A recent paper in the open-source journal PLoS examines worldwide trajectories of cervical cancer mortality and disability-adjusted life years ( DALYs ), together with