Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer affecting women worldwide. Every year, approximately 500,000 women are diagnosed with it, and almost 300,000 die of it, making it the second leading cause of cancer death among women.

What is cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer is the cancer of the cervix, the cone-shaped part of the uterus that connects that upper part of the uterus (the womb) and the vagina. It tends to occur in women in their 40s and 50s, but can also occur in younger women.

Cervical cancer develops when abnormal cells in the lining of the cervix begin to multiply out of control, which can then gather to form a lump called a tumour. Benign (non-cancerous) tumours do not spread and are usually not harmful. Malignant tumours, however, spread from their sources and grow into life-threatening cancers.

What causes cervical cancer?

Almost all cervical cancers are caused by some type of Human Papillomavirus (HPV). In fact, HPV is present in as many as 99% of cervical cancers. HPV is a common virus that infects about half of all people at some point in their lives. Although there are more than 100 types of HPV, 70 percent of cervical cancers are due to high-risk HPV types 16 and 18.