Cervical Neoplasia and Cigarette Smoking: Are They Linked?

The presence of tobacco-specific carcinogens in the cervical mucus of smokers and their effect on the local immune system strongly suggest that smoking has an etiologic role in the development of cervical neoplasia. However, it remains unclear whether smoking can affect the initiation of high-grade cervical neoplasia independently from human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Studies that control for HPV infection may not entirely resolve the issue of the role of smoking in cervical neoplasia. Cigarette smoking may be causative through its effect on oncogenic HPV infection or by altering the immune response system. This article reviews the currently available data assessing the relationship between cigarette smoking and cervical neoplasia.