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Full list of author information is available at the end of the articleBackground Cervical cancer (CC) is the second most common cancer affecting women worldwide, after breast cancer [1]. In 2008, the number of new cases of cervical cancer was esti-mated at 530,000 and 275,000 deaths were attributed to this disease. Most of these new cases (86%) and deaths (88%) occurred in developing countries mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia [1]. In Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa, CC is the leading cancer in women: in 2008 its incidence and mortality were estimated at 26.9 cases and 19.1 deaths per 100,000 women, respectively [1]. More than 70 % of the CC cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage in the country [2]. The carcinogenic role played by high risk Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) in the occurrence of CC is no