Gynecologic Oncology Program

Patient and Family Education

Cervical Cancer

Read an interview with Dr. Sarah Temkin for important information about new cervical cancer screening guidelines.

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What is Cervical Cancer?

Cervical cancer, a common kind of cancer in women, is a disease in which cancerous cells develop in the tissues of the cervix. The cervix is the opening of the uterus, the hollow, pear-shaped organ where a baby develops. The cervix connects the uterus to the vagina (birth canal).

The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2009, about 11,270 new cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed. Approximately 4,070 women in the United States died from this invasive disease. However, the number of deaths from cervical cancer has declined dramatically since the 1950s when the Pap test, a screening test for early cervical cancer, was developed.

When it is found and treated early, cervical cancer usually can be cured. The five-year survival rate for pre-invasive cervical cancer is 100 percent, and for early invasive cancer it is 91 percent. The five-year survival rate for cervical cancers at all stages combined drops to 70 percent.

Although the cause of cervical cancer is not known, scientists do know how the disease develops. Before cancer ever develops, the tissues of the cervix go through changes in which cells that are not normal begin to form (a condition known as dysplasia). These changes often occur very slowly over a period of several years, but occasionally they happen more quickly.

If abnormal, precancerous cells have formed on the cervix, they will usually be found when a woman has a Pap test. Sometimes the cells clear up and disappear without treatment, but usually they need to be treated. If they do not disappear on their own and are not treated, cancerous cells eventually will start to grow and spread more deeply into the cervix and surrounding areas.

There are two main types of cervical cancer and a few rare types. The most common type, comprising 85-90 percent of all cervical cancers, is called squamous cell carcinoma.

The other common type, adenocarcinoma, accounts for 10-15 percent of cervical cancers.

This page was last updated on: January 14, 2010.