Objective: To analyse the impact of screening actions on the incidence and mortality rates of cervical cancer (CC) in the city of Belém, Brazil.

Methods: Based on the cancer registry data from 1998 to 2017, collected from the Belém Population-Based Cancer Registry, combined with local population data for the interval 1998–2017, CC incidence and mortality were calculated. The Segi world population 1960 was used for age-standardised incidence/mortality rates.

Results: In the period analysed, there were 4,469 new cases and 1,660 deaths from CC. The median age at diagnosis of invasive cases was 51 years. The age-adjusted incidence rate decreased from 18.65/100,000 in 1998 to 11.79/100,000 in 2017, despite the increase observed in the first 5 years of the historical series, while there was stability in mortality rates in the same time lapse.

Conclusion: CC is still one of the most common malignant tumours that threaten public health in northern Brazil. The trend of the disease depends on comprehensive prevention and control strategies regarding the local situation and age groups, with emphasis on the organisation of the screening programme and vaccination against human papillomavirus.