Overview

Cervical cancer starts in a woman's cervix, which is the lower, narrow part of the uterus. The uterus holds the growing fetus during pregnancy. The cervix connects the lower part of the uterus to the vagina and, with the vagina, forms the birth canal.

Cervical cancer develops when normal cells on the surface of the cervix begin to change, grow uncontrollably, and eventually form a mass of cells called a tumor. A tumor can be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous).

At first, the changes in a cell are abnormal, not cancerous. Researchers believe, however, that some of these abnormal changes are the first step in a series of slow changes that can lead to cancer. Some of the abnormal cells go away without treatment, but others can become cancerous. This phase of the disease is called dysplasia (an abnormal growth of cells). The precancerous tissue needs to be removed to keep cancer from developing. Often, the precancerous tissue can be removed or destroyed without harming healthy tissue, but in some cases, a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus and cervix) is needed to prevent cervical cancer. Treatment of a lesion (a precancerous area) depends on the following factors:

• How big the lesion is, and what type of changes have occurred in the cells
  
  
• If the woman wants to have children in the future
  
  
• The woman's age
  
  
• The woman's general health
  
  
• The preference of the woman and her doctor

If the precancerous cells change into true cancer cells and spread deeper into the cervix or to other tissues and organs, the disease is then called cervical cancer.

There are two main types of cervical cancer, named for the type of cell where the cancer started.

• Squamous cell carcinoma, which makes up about 80% to 90% of all cervical cancers
  
  
• Adenocarcinoma, which makes up 10% to 20% of all cervical cancers

In addition, there are a few other rare types of cervical cancer.

Statistics

In 2009, an estimated 11,270 women in the United States will be diagnosed with cervical cancer. It is estimated that 4,070 deaths from the disease will occur this year. The number of new cases of cervical cancer is decreasing as screening with the Pap test (see Prevention) becomes more prevalent.

The one-year relative survival rate (percentage of women who survive at least one year after the cancer is detected, excluding those who die from other diseases) of women with cervical cancer is 88%. The five-year relative survival rate (percentage of women who survive at least five years after the cancer is detected, excluding those who die from other diseases) for all stages of cervical cancer is 71%. When detected at an early stage, the five-year survival rate for women with invasive cervical cancer is 92%.

Cancer survival statistics should be interpreted with caution. These estimates are based on data from thousands of cases of this type of cancer in the United States each year, but the actual risk for a particular individual may differ. It is not possible to tell a woman how long she will live with cervical cancer. Because survival statistics are often measured in multi-year intervals, they may not represent advances made in the treatment or diagnosis of this cancer.

Statistics adapted from the American Cancer Society's publication, Cancer Facts & Figures 2009.

Find out more about basic cancer terms used in this section.