Types of Cervical Cancer

The cervix is found in the lower part of the uterus. A fetus grows in the main part of the uterus, and the cervix connects this area to the birth canal. The cervix is divided into two parts, the endocervix and the ectocervix. The endocervix is closest to the body of the uterus, while the ectocervix is close to the vagina. Where these two parts meet is called the transformation zone, and it's here that most cancers occur.

Significance

• The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be more than 11,000 women diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2009. More than 4,000 women will die from the disease in that same year. This death rate has declined in the last 30 years, as more and more women are seeing their doctors regularly and being screened during Pap smears.

Symptoms

• Cervical cancer typically won't display any symptoms in its earliest stages. Because of this, regular Pap tests are important, and that importance only increases for sexually active women. According to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, you should be on the lookout for any of these symptoms:

  Vaginal discharge tinged with blood
  Bleeding after intercourse
  Abnormal bleeding: after menopause, between menstrual periods or excessively heavy periods
  Increased urinary frequency
  Pain
  Swollen leg (seen in more advanced cases)

Squamous Cell Carcinoma

• Squamous cell carcinoma develops in the cervix's lining, and is the most common form of cervical cancer. Between 80 percent and 90 percent of cervical cancer patients are diagnosed with squamous cell carcinomas. Squamous cells cover the surface of the exocervix, and it's here that the cancer originates. This type of cancer often begins in the transformation zone where the exocervix meets the endocervix.

Adenocarcinoma

• Adenocarcinoma occurs in the remaining 10 percent to 20 percent of cervical cancer cases. This form of the disease begins in mucus-producing glandular cells found in the endocervix. Adenocarcinoma can be aggressive and, if not caught early, can mean a bleak outlook for the patient. Adenocarcinomas are more common in women born between 20 and 30 years ago.

  Cervical cancers do exist that have characteristics of both squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas. They are referred to as adenosquamous carcinomas, or mixed carcinomas.

Risk Factors

• Cervical cancer is most commonly caused by exposure to certain types of human papillomavirus, or HPV. HPV is the virus that causes genital warts, so women who became sexually active early in life or who have had many sexual partners are more likely to have HPV infection and therefore develop cervical cancer. HPV has become relatively widespread, so the virus can be found in many healthy women who do not develop cervical cancer. Immunosuppression, giving birth to multiple children and smoking cigarettes are all factors that can increase the risk of developing cervical cancer in those who have HPV.