Dr Chris Steele provides 10 interesting facts about cervical cancer.

Ten things you might not know about cervical cancer

Here are ten things about cervical cancer that might surprise you.

  1. Cervical cancer affects the neck of the womb. The word "cervix" means "neck" in Latin.


  2. Cervical cancer is caused by a common virus - human papillomavirus (HPV). The link between this virus and cervical cancer is even stronger than that of tobacco and lung cancer.


  3. HPV is so widespread in the population that some experts say it is almost inevitable that sexually active women will acquire it at some point in their lives.


  4. There are around 100 different types of HPV which can infect humans and each type is given a number. Approximately 40 of these can infect the genital tract and are classified as "low risk" and "high risk". Low risk types are associated with benign conditions such as genital warts. High risk types are the ones that can cause cervical cancer.


  5. Low risk HPV types don't cause cervical cancer nor do they place women at increased risk of developing cervical cancer.


  6. HPV is passed on by skin-to-skin contact in the genital area, which means that full sexual intercourse is not necessarily required. Although condoms reduce the risk of exposure to HPV they do not fully protect.


  7. Only one sexual experience is needed to get HPV6 and the risk of exposure can continue throughout a woman’s sexually active life.

  8. The HPV virus may be one of the oldest viruses to infect humans. Some researchers say that it could be 24 million years old and was certainly present in cavemen and women. An ancestor of this virus may have been around 360 million years ago when dinosaurs walked the earth!


  9. Cervical cancer screening (the "smear" test) is not a test for HPV. Nor is it actually a test for cancer. It is a test for abnormal cervical cells, which if left untreated could go on to become cancer.


  10. The UK operates a highly effective screening programme. Approximately three and a half million women were screened for cervical cancer in England (2005/6). Studies have indicated that the screening service is saving up to 5,000 lives a year in the UK.
This content was created on Thu 27 September 2007

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