Cervical cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancers in women from Indonesia, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. High-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) types, particularly HPV-16 and
18, are consistently identified in cervical cancer cases regardless of geographical region. Factors that have
been identified to increase the likelihood of HPV exposure or subsequent development of cervical cancer
include young age at first intercourse, high parity and multiple sexual partners. Cervical cancer screening
programs in these countries include Pap smears, single visit approach utilizing visual inspection with
acetic acid followed by cryotherapy, as well as screening with colposcopy. Uptake of screening remains
low in all regions and is further compounded by the lack of basic knowledge women have regarding
screening as an opporunity for the prevention of cervical cancer. Prophylactic HPV vaccination with the
quadrivalent vaccine has already been approved for use in Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, while
the bivalent vaccine has also been approved in the Philippines. However, there has been no national or
government vaccination policy implemented in any of these countries.