ABSTRACT: In Bulgaria, one woman dies every day and 3 new cases of the disease are diagnosed. In Europe, it ranks second in incidence and mortality among women aged 15 to 44 after breast cancer. The only way for the early detection of the disease remains the annual prophylactic examinations. Early diagnosis of cervical cancer and successful treatment of precancerous lesions is possible only through regular gynecological examinations. Cervical cancer is diagnosed through prophylactic examinations and the implementation of a national screening program. Objective: To study and evaluate students' behavior regarding the prevention of cervical cancer. Material and methods: 179 students were surveyed through an anonymous survey. The results were statistically processed with SPSS v. 20.0, using variational and comparative analyzes. For significance level we assume p <0.05). Results: Students do not conduct preventive examinations, as 44.4% visit their GP only for a specific disease, and 31.6% have conducted three preventive examinations in the last five years. According to less than half of the respondents, a preventive gynecological examination should be conducted at least once a year (47.4%), and 83.5% stated that they would benefit from a free preventive examination. On the other hand, it was found that a significant part of students are not aware of what primary (43.9%) and secondary (48.0%) prevention includes. Conclusion: In conclusion, it can be said that students do not have established habits for conducting preventive examinations and are not familiar with the specifics of primary and secondary prevention of cervical cancer.

Keywords: Cervical cancer, prevention, students, awareness, health behavior

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