Introduction. Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers of the female reproductive system, killing more than 250,000 women each year. The etiological agent that causes cervical cancer is well known. HPV infection with high oncogenic risk is the cause of more than 99% of cases of the disease. However, not all infections lead to cervical cancer: in the vast majority of women, the virus eliminates itself spontaneously within 2 years. Formation of HPV-associated cervical cancer depends on genetic and epigenetic factors, but the molecular pathogenesis of the disease is still insufficiently disclosed. The aim of the article is to analyze, systematize and summarize the available literature on the problems of prevalence, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, molecular genetic component. Material and methods. When writing this work, the main Internet resources were used: scientific electronic library (e-Library), Scopus, PubMed. The literature search was performed mainly for the previous 10 years. Results: The review contains articles describing genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of cervical cancer, modern methods of molecular-genetic diagnostics, as well as available statistical data on prevalence, prospects of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of this malignant disease.