Cervical cancer is a disease in which cancer cells grow in the
cervix. The cervix is the lower, narrow part of the uterus that
connects the uterus with the vagina. It is the outlet of the
uterus through which menses flow and babies are delivered.
Normally, the cells of the cervix divide in a regulated manner.
If cells keep dividing in an unregulated manner, a mass of
tissue forms. This mass is called a tumor. A tumor can be benign
or malignant. In the cervix, cancer can arise either from the
squamous cells (squamous cell carcinoma) that line the outer
surface of the cervix or the glandular cells that are found in
the channel that connects to the rest of the womb
(adenocarcinoma). A benign tumor is not cancer. It will not
spread to other parts of the body. A malignant tumor is cancer.
Cancer cells divide and damage tissue around them. They can
enter the bloodstream and spread to other parts of the body.
This can be life-threatening. Pap smears are largely responsible
for the significant decline in deaths from