Cervical cancer

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Cervical cancer develops in the cervix (the lower part of the uterus).

Cervical cancer usually results from infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV), transmitted during sexual intercourse.
Cervical cancer may cause irregular vaginal bleeding or bleeding after sexual intercourse, but symptoms may not occur until the cancer has enlarged or spread.
Papanicolaou (Pap) tests can usually detect abnormalities, which are then biopsied.
Getting regular Pap tests and being vaccinated against HPV can help prevent cervical cancer.
Treatment usually involves surgery to remove the cancer and often the surrounding tissue and often, if tumors are large, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

(See also Overview of Female Reproductive System Cancers.)
In the United States, cervical cancer (cervical carcinoma) is the third most common gynecologic cancer among all women and is common among younger women. The average age at diagnosis is about 50, but it can affect women as young as 20.
The cervix is the lower part of the uterus. It extends into the vagina.
About 80 to 85% of cervical cancers are squamous cell carcinomas, which develop in the flat, skinlike cells that line the cervix. Most other cervical cancers are adenocarcinomas, which develop from gland cells.
Cervical cancer begins with slow, progressive changes in normal cells on the surface of the cervix. These changes, called dysplasia or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), are considered precancerous. That means that if untreated, they may progress to cancer, sometimes after years. CIN is classified as mild (CIN 1), moderate (CIN 2), or severe (CIN 3).
Cervical cancer begins on the surface of the cervix and can penetrate deep beneath the surface. Cervical cancer can spread in the following ways:

By spreading directly to nearby tissues, including the vagina
By entering the rich network of lymphatic vessels inside the cervix, then spreading to other parts of the body
Rarely, by spreading through the bloodstream