Cervical cancer

Overview Symptoms Causes Tests and next steps Treatment Help and support
Diagram of the pelvic area with labels showing the vagina, cervix, womb, fallopian tubes and ovaries. The cervix is above the vagina.
  • Cervical cancer is a cancer that's found anywhere in the cervix. It mostly affects women under the age of 45.
  • Anyone with a cervix can get cervical cancer.
  • The cervix is the opening between the vagina and the womb (uterus).
  • It's part of the reproductive system and is sometimes called the neck of the womb.
  • Nearly all cervical cancers are caused by an infection from certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV).
  • It can often be prevented by attending cervical screening, which aims to find and treat changes to cells before they turn into cancer.
  • Cervical cancer usually grows very slowly. How serious it is depends on how big it is, if it has spread and your general health.

It's important to get any symptoms of cervical cancer checked as soon as possible.