What is cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer happens when abnormal cells in the lining of the cervix grow uncontrollably and form lesions which can become tumours that can spread throughout the body.  Cervical cancer is caused when the cervix has been infected by the human papillomavirus (HPV) which can cause abnormal changes to the cervical cells.

It is very common to be infected with HPV but extremely rare for it to lead to cancer of the cervix.

Symptoms/ detection/ diagnosis

Most people who are sexually active (around 4 out of five) will be infected with HPV at some time and the body’s immune system will usually clear it up in around 8-14 months.  Generally, most people don’t even know they have contracted the virus at all.

There are around 100 types of HPV, most of them are harmless, and some of them can cause warts on the hands and feet.  About 40 percent of HPVs attack the genitals including low risk HPVs (known as types 6 and 11) that can cause genital warts and high risk (known as types 16 and 18) that can cause cervical and pre-cervical cancer.

Most women who have the virus do not develop cervical cancer.  However, a small number of women do develop abnormal cells that may become cancerous.

Abnormal cells in the cervix can be detected when you have a Papanicolou (Pap) smear test.  That’s why it is very important to have regular Pap tests (every 2 years), unless your doctor advises that you have them more frequently.

If you have an abnormal result, your doctor might suggest you have another Pap test in a few months, or that you have further exploratory tests done.  In most cases the abnormal cells will clear up.  It’s extremely important to follow your doctor’s advice about Pap testing.

Remember that most women will not develop cervical cancer from HPV infection or an abnormal cell result.