What is cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer is cancer of the cervix, the narrow neck at the lower end of a woman’s uterus, just above the vagina (see below). The cervix connects the uterus to the vagina.

Approximately eight out of 10 cervical cancers originate in surface cells lining the cervix (squamous cell carcinomas). These cancers do not form suddenly. In some women, healthy cervical cells start to show abnormal growth - this is called dysplasia. Although these cells are not cancerous, they can become so.