General Information About Cervical Cancer Key Points for This
Section - Cervical cancer is a disease in which malignant
(cancer) cells form in the cervix. - Screening for cervical
cancer using the Pap test has decreased the number of new cases
of cervical cancer and the number of deaths due to cervical
cancer since 1950. - Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the
major risk factor for development of cervical cancer. Cervical
cancer usually develops slowly over time. Before cancer appears
in the cervix, the cells of the cervix go through changes known
as dysplasia, in which cells that are not normal begin to appear
in the cervical tissue. Later, cancer cells start to grow and
spread more deeply into the cervix and to surrounding areas. See
the following PDQ summaries for more information about cervical
cancer: Cervical dysplasia occurs more often in women who are in
their 20s and 30s. Death from cervical cancer is rare in women
younger than 30 years and in women of any age who have regular
screenings with t