Regent Medical Centre
www.regentmedicalcentre.co.uk 19th June 2013

Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is a tumour of the cervix. It is a common cancer in women and can be prevented by detecting precancerous cells in a cervical smear. Despite this, about 1500 women in the UK die of it each year, many of whom have not had regular cervical smear tests

Causes
  The cervix is the part of the womb that projects into the vagina. It measures less than one inch across and about one and a half inches in length. It is a block of a special type of muscle covered by a thin layer of surface cells. Cancer of the cervix develops in these surface cells, which first start to grow in an abnormal way (precancerous cells). After about 10 years, the precancerous cells turn into true cancer cells, which spread into the muscle of the cervix and surrounding tissue and then to other parts of the body. Precancerous cells in the cervix seem to develop after an infection of the cervix by a sexually transmitted virus called human papilloma virus. This virus also causes genital warts.

Risk factors
 
  • first had sex at an early age
  • became pregnant as a teenager
  • smoke
  • use contraceptives that do not act as barriers
  • have had a large number of sexual partners or have a sexual partner who has had many other partners
  • you are infected with the AIDS virus (HIV)
  • take immunosuppresant drugs (eg after a kidney transplant)
  • have been infected with a sexually transmitted disease at any time

Seek medical advice
  Seek advice from your healthcare professional if...
  • you experience bleeding between normal periods
  • if you bleed after sex
  • if you experience post-menopausal vaginal bleeding
  • pain when having sex and vaginal discharge

Recommended web sites
  Cancer of the cervix

Information and support from Cancer Backup

Cancer of the cervix

An article about cervical cancer from the NHS

Cancer Research UK

A link to the UK's leading charity dedicated to cancer
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