Cervical Cancer Overview

The uterine cervix is the lowest portion of a woman's uterus (womb). Most of the uterus lies in the pelvis, but  part of the cervix is located in  the vagina, where it connects the uterus with the vagina. 

Cancer of the cervix occurs when the cells of the cervix change in  a way that leads to abnormal growth and invasion of other tissues or organs of the body. 

Like all cancers,  cancer of the cervix  is much more likely to be cured if it is detected early and treated immediately. 

• One  of the key features of cervical cancer is its slow progression from normal cervical tissue,  to precancerous (or dysplastic) changes in the tissue,  to invasive cancer.
• The slow progression through numerous precancerous changes is very important because it provides opportunities  for prevention and early detection and treatment. 
• These opportunities  have caused  the decline of cervical cancer over the past decades  in the United States. 
• Invasive cancer means that the cancer affects the deeper tissues of the  cervix and may have spread  to other parts of the body. This spread is called metastasis. Cervical cancers don't always spread, but those that do most often spread to the lungs, the liver, the bladder, the vagina, and/or the rectum. 

Cervical Cancer Causes 
Cervical  cancer begins with  abnormal changes in  the cervical tissue. The risk of developing these abnormal changes has been associated with certain factors, including previous infection with human papillomavirus (HPV), early sexual contact, multiple sexual partners, cigarette smoking, and taking oral contraceptives (birth control pills). 

Forms of HPV,  a virus whose different types cause skin warts, genital warts,  and other abnormal skin  and body surface disorders, have been shown to lead to many of the changes in cervical  cells that may eventually lead to  cancer.

• Genetic material that comes from certain forms of HPV has been found in cervical tissues that show cancerous or precancerous changes. 
• In addition,  women who have been diagnosed with HPV are more likely to develop a cervical cancer that has genetic material matching  the strain  of virus that caused the infection. 
• These findings demonstrate a strong link between the virus and  cervical cancer.
• Because HPV can be transmitted by sexual contact, early sexual contact and having multiple sexual partners have been identified as strong risk factors for the development of cervical lesions that may progress to cancer. 
• Cigarette smoking is another risk factor for the development of cervical cancer. The chemicals in cigarette smoke interact with the cells of the cervix, causing precancerous changes that may over time progress to cancer. 

Oral contraceptives ("the pill") may increase the risk for cervical cancer, especially in women who use oral contraceptives for longer than 5 years. 

Notes: Dr. M. Kristine Schlossberg

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EditText of this page (last edited February 16, 2010)