Cancer of the Cervix
Cancer of the cervix is a disease that only affects women who are, or who have been, sexually active. It is detectable by screening, so every woman who is, or ever has been, sexually active should be screened regularly up to the age of 65. The progression of malignant change from normal to severely affected proceeds via initial mild changes in the cells to a position where there may be localised cancer - so-called carcinoma in situ. The condition is curable at this stage. After this the cancer may become invasive, and spread, when it may not be curable. There is an increased risk of developing cancer of the cervix in patients who smoke cigarettes, who have many sexual partners, and who are infected by one of the human viruses called papilloma viruses, which cause warts.
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