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Cervical cancer starts in the cells lining the cervix -- the lower part of the uterus (womb). The cervix connects the body of the uterus (the upper part where a fetus grows) to the vagina (birth canal). Cancer starts when cells in the body begin to grow out of control. To learn more about how cancers start and spread, see What Is Cancer?
The cervix is made of two parts and is covered with two different types of cells.
The place these two cell types meet in the cervix is called the transformation zone. The exact location of the transformation zone changes as you get older and if you give birth. Most cervical cancers begin in the cells in the transformation zone.
Cells in the transformation zone do not suddenly change into cancer. Instead, the normal cells of the cervix first gradually develop abnormal changes that can turn into cancer. Doctors use several terms to describe these cell changes, including cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL), and dysplasia. You might hear these abnormal changes referred to as precancers or precancerous changes.
When these abnormal changes in the cervix are found, they are graded on a scale of 1 to 3 based on how much of the cervical tissue looks abnormal.
Although cervical cancers start from cells with abnormal changes, only some women with these cervix changes will develop cancer. For most women, these abnormal cells will go away without any treatment. But, in some women, these abnormal cells can turn into true (invasive) cancers. Treating abnormal changes in cervical cells can prevent almost all cervical cancers.
Cervical cancer screening looks for abnormal cells in the cervix or cervical cancer early, when treatment is more likely to be successful. Regular screening can prevent cervical cancer and save lives.
The HPV test and the Pap test are used to screen for cervical cancer:
See Can Cervical Cancer Be Prevented? The specific types of treatment for abnormal screening tests are discussed in When Cervical Screening Test Results are Abnormal.
Cervical cancers and cervical precancers are classified by how they look in the lab under a microscope. The main types of cervical cancers are squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma.
Although almost all cervical cancers are either squamous cell carcinomas or adenocarcinomas, other types of cancer also can develop in the cervix. These other types, such as melanoma, sarcoma, and lymphoma, occur more commonly in other parts of the body.
Only the more common cervical cancer types are covered here.
Developed by the American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team with medical review and contribution by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
Eifel P, Klopp AH, Berek JS, and Konstantinopoulos A. Chapter 74: Cancer of the Cervix, Vagina, and Vulva. In: DeVita VT, Lawrence TS, Rosenberg SA, eds. DeVita, Hellman, and Rosenberg’s Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2019.
Fontham, ETH, Wolf, AMD, Church, TR, et al. Cervical Cancer Screening for Individuals at Average Risk: 2020 Guideline Update from the American Cancer Society. CA Cancer J Clin. 2020. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21628.
Jhungran A, Russell AH, Seiden MV, Duska LR, Goodman A, Lee S, et al. Chapter 84: Cancers of the Cervix, Vulva, and Vagina. In: Niederhuber JE, Armitage JO, Doroshow JH, Kastan MB, Tepper JE, eds. Abeloff’s Clinical Oncology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier; 2020.
Khieu M, Butler SL. High Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion. StatPearls. PMID: 28613479. 2022.
National Cancer Institute. Physician Data Query (PDQ). Cervical Cancer Treatment – Health Professional Version. 2019. https://www.cancer.gov/types/cervical/hp/cervical-treatment-pdq. Updated February 6, 2019. Accessed on October 30, 2019.
Last Revised: July 1, 2025
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