Together against cervical cancer: a mission

22.01.2026

With its Clinic and Polyclinic for Gynecology, the TUM Klinikum Rechts der Isar is one of six university hospitals in Bavaria with a certified gynecological cancer center. The Munich Women's Clinic combines modern diagnostics and therapy with research and teaching at an excellent scientific level. The oncological focus of the university facility includes ovarian, vulva, uterine body and cervical cancer. On the occasion of Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, which is celebrated every year in January, the Health section of Bayern Innovativ was able to speak with Prof. Dr. Marion Kiechle. Kiechle is Director of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Gynecology and is one of the leading experts on cervical cancer. In addition to her work as a doctor and professor of gynecology, she has published eight successful books on the topics of health and well-being.

The HPV vaccination has been available since 2006 and is considered a major breakthrough. It is recommended for young people between the ages of 9 and 14. If the vaccination wasn't available when I was a teenager, does it make sense to get vaccinated as an adult?
Prof. Dr. Marion Kiechle: Not really. However, it makes sense to get vaccinated if you have had a precancerous lesion. The doctor can decide on a case-by-case basis. The vaccination is most effective if you have not yet had sexual contact and have therefore not yet come into contact with the virus. A therapeutic vaccination is currently being developed, but we are still waiting for that.

Should the male sex also receive the HPV vaccination?
Prof. Dr. med. Marion Kiechle: Yes, absolutely. Men are carriers just like women. They can also develop penile carcinoma or laryngeal carcinoma, for example. So of course, the incidence in men is somewhat lower. But they are also carriers and can also develop HPV-related cancer themselves. That's why it's also advisable to have boys vaccinated. I have two stepsons myself, who have of course been vaccinated.

In Germany, the HPV vaccination is offered nationwide and yet many young people are not vaccinated. What could be the reason for this?
Prof. Dr. med. Marion Kiechle: Yes, it could be due to a lack of information, a lack of knowledge or, for me as a doctor, a completely unfounded fear of vaccination. I can only assure you that with the HPV vaccination, which has been around for 20 years now, you have a very, very, very good overview and there are no side effects such as vaccination reactions or any other serious problems caused by the vaccination. So I can only recommend having the vaccination.

We talked about early detection. There is the Pap smear and HPV test. Women between the ages of 30 and 34 are given an annual Pap smear and women aged 35 and over are given a combined Pap smear and HPV test every three years. Many women are unsure whether this is enough.
Prof. Dr. med. Marion Kiechle: Yes, it is enough. HPV is not quite as sensitive in younger women because the infection rate is very high. You have to imagine that if you have sexual contact with someone, the probability of catching the virus is very, very high. This was once investigated in American college students and an infection rate of over 90 percent was found. In other words, the probability that I will come into contact with the virus as a young person and it can be detected in me is simply very, very high. If this virus is caught in the crossfire by the immune system, it is usually eliminated.
It only becomes dangerous in people in whom the virus persists because their immune system cannot cope with the virus for some reason. The virus then remains and if it remains, it can cause damage - in the form of precancerous lesions or even cancer. It is a certain process that takes years. This means that if I detect the virus in women over 35, it is more likely to be a persistent virus. That's why younger women are offered a conventional Pap smear once a year and women over 35 receive the combined test of a Pap smear and HPV test every three years.

In addition to the vaccination, tests and check-ups, are there any other preventive measures that I can take as an individual?
Prof. Dr. med. Marion Kiechle: Using a condom during sexual contact is one option, but it is not 100% safe because the virus can also be transmitted via skin contact. Of course, you should do everything you can to strengthen your local immune defenses or prevent them from weakening. Smoking, for example, weakens the local immune system, which is why smokers have a harder time fighting the virus and are therefore more likely to develop cervical cancer. You can take the trace element selenium because it helps to boost the local immune system. A selenium cure can help to get rid of the virus more quickly if you have caught it.

If you look at the developments in the diagnosis or treatment of cervical cancer, what currently gives you the most hope?
Prof. Dr. med. Marion Kiechle: There are many additional markers that can be determined and used to evaluate more precisely whether a lesion is cancerous or not. So there are a lot of new biomarkers that help doctors to make a better assessment. That makes me feel positive. And then there are a number of developments in which the cytological findings are read out using AI, which greatly speeds up the process. After all, you're on pins and needles when you've been to the gynecologist and have to wait a relatively long time to get your test results. I am very confident that these new diagnostic procedures will reduce the waiting time.

There are now also many tests available at drugstores. Do you think it is likely that there will be something innovative for self-testing in this country in the near future?
Prof. Dr. Marion Kiechle: There are already HPV self-tests that we know work just as well as if they had been done by a doctor. In some countries, the HPV self-test is already part of the cancer screening program and is a popular measure among women. In my opinion, the HPV self-test could also be a measure to increase willingness in Germany and reach women who do not regularly go for screening. If you send them the test - some health insurance companies in Germany are already doing this in a pilot project - you could possibly increase the participation rate.

If you could name one lever that could significantly reduce the number of cases, what would it be?
Prof. Dr. med. Marion Kiechle: It's actually quite simple. 99 percent of cervical cancers are caused by a virus against which there is a vaccine. The body's defenses can be made so strong that the cancer cannot develop in the first place. HPV vaccination, early detection and awareness of early detection. Early detection of cancer allows early action to be taken against cell changes or tumors so that the chances of recovery are simply better. These are the three most important measures.

Is there a key message you would like to pass on to women on the occasion of Cervical Cancer Awareness Month?
Prof. Dr. med. Marion Kiechle: It would be important to me that as many women as possible go for early detection and that they also motivate their husbands to go for early detection.

Thank you very much!

The TUM Rechts der Isar Hospital is a partner in the Bayern Innovativ health partner network. Bayern Innovativ GmbH brings together stakeholders from science, industry and practice, creating spaces for exchange and knowledge transfer. On behalf of the Free State of Bavaria, it supports companies and start-ups in gaining orientation in the complex innovation ecosystem. In this way, promising approaches are sustainably transformed into marketable solutions and Bavaria is strengthened as an innovation region.

Find out more about how companies, research institutions and politicians are working to make cancer prevention accessible and understandable for everyone in our article Cancer Prevention Day: Act today so that cancer doesn't stand a chance tomorrow.