The emergence of HPV vaccination and the need to evaluate its effectiveness have prompted a review of the data collected by cancer registries. The objective of this study was to conduct an assessment of how precancerous lesions of the cervix are recorded by French registries in order to harmonize practices, and to present the first incidence data on precancerous lesions based on data observed by the cancer registries of the Francim network (France-cancer-incidence and mortality). Method: As part of the assessment of precancerous lesion reporting practices, all registries in the Francim network completed a questionnaire regarding their reporting sources, case definitions, and coding rules for recording these lesions. In addition, incidence data on invasive cancers and precancerous lesions of the cervix collected by 9 registries with at least ten consecutive years of data between 2000 and 2009, demonstrating satisfactory completeness and having harmonized their coding, were analyzed. Results: The main difficulty encountered by the registries stems from changes over time and the coexistence of several cytological and histological classifications, particularly the latest classification, which groups CIN2 and CIN3 into high-grade lesions. An update to the Francim recommendations encourages registries to refer to the full report in order to distinguish CIN2 from CIN3. In 2009, the incidence rate of cervical precancerous lesions was 30.1 per 100,000 person-years and 6.2 for invasive cancers. Discussion and conclusion: This study has harmonized the recording practices for cervical precancerous lesions across the Francim network registries and corrected the collected data where necessary. It provides the first incidence data reflecting the epidemiological situation prior to the effects of HPV vaccination and the nationwide rollout of screening. The impact of the public health measures implemented can thus be measured and monitored in the years, and even decades, to come. (R.A.)