What is cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer is cancer of the cells lining the cervix which is the passage between the uterus and the vagina.

Diagram of female body showing reproductive system and the location of the cervix.

Cervical cancer can occur at any age and is the second most common cancer in women under 35 in the UK.

The early stages of cervical cancer are not usually associated with any symptoms. In Scotland, there are about 300 new cases of cervical cancer each year. Around 100 women in Scotland die every year from cervical cancer.

The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the most common cause of this cancer. In most cases, HPV doesn’t cause any harm. Occasionally, it may start to damage cells and lead to cervical cancer.

Having damaged or abnormal cells isn’t the same as having cancer, but these cells can develop into cancer if they’re left untreated.

Regular cervical screening is the best way to detect abnormal cells early enough to do something about them.

All women in Scotland aged between 20 and 60 are invited for cervical screening every three years. Abnormal (damaged) cells show up in around one in 30 cases. Some of these may lead to cervical cancer if they aren’t treated.

The number of Scottish women who get cervical cancer is lower than it would be without cervical screening to spot pre-cancerous cells. The number of cases of cervical cancer in Scotland has almost halved since 1986.

Find out more about Scotland’s cervical screening programme.

Find out more about HPV and how it causes cervical cancer.