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General Information About Cervical Cancer
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Cervical cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells
form in the cervix.
The cervix is the lower,
narrow end of the uterus (the
hollow, pear-shaped organ where a fetus grows). The cervix leads from the uterus to
the vagina (birth canal).
Cervical cancer usually develops slowly over time. Before cancer appears in the cervix, the cells of
the cervix go through changes known as dysplasia, in which cells that are not normal
begin to appear in the cervical tissue. Later, cancer cells start to grow and
spread more deeply into the cervix and to surrounding areas.
Screening for cervical cancer using the Pap test has decreased the number of new cases of cervical cancer and the number of deaths due to cervical cancer since 1950.
Cervical dysplasia occurs more often in women who are in their 20s and 30s. Death from cervical cancer is rare in women younger than 30 years and in women of any age who have regular screenings with the Pap test. The Pap test is used to detect cancer and changes that may lead to cancer. The chance of death from cervical cancer increases with age. It is highest for white women between the ages of 45 and 70 years and for black women in their 70s. Deaths from cervical cancer occur more often in black women than in white women.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the major risk factor
for development of cervical cancer.
Although most women with cervical cancer have the human
papillomavirus (HPV) infection, not all women with an HPV infection will develop cervical
cancer. Many different types of HPV can affect the cervix and only some of them cause abnormal cells that may become cancer.
Some HPV infections go away without treatment. Women who do not have regular Pap
tests are at
increased risk of cervical cancer.
HPV infections are spread mainly through sexual contact. Women who become sexually active at a young age and have many sexual partners are at increased risk for HPV infections.
Other risk factors for cervical cancer include:
- Giving birth to many children.
- Having many sexual partners.
- Having first sexual intercourse at a young age.
- Smoking cigarettes.
- Using oral contraceptives ("the Pill").
- Having a weakened immune
system.
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