What is Cervical Cancer?

What is cervical cancer?

To understand this form of cancer more fully, we should start by explaining what the cervix is. The cervix is is the lowest portion of the uterus. The uterus is the womb, a muscular portion of the female reproductive tract with a central cavity where the early embryo implants and begins growing after fertilization. The uterus supports the pregnancy and supplies blood to the placenta to support fetal growth. At the end of pregnancy, the uterus is responsible for the muscular contractions that expell the fetus from the womb and delivers the baby.

The cervix is a the bottom-most portion of the uterus and acts as both the inlet to the uterus (for sperm at the time of intercourse and fertilization) and the outlet (during labor and delivery, for the delivery of the newborn). It has a muscular wall which surrounds a narrow cavity or channel that connects the vagina below to the rest of the uterus above. When not pregnant and during pregnancy, this cavity is narrow. However, at the end of pregnancy, due to hormonal changes and muscular contractions, the cervix begins to soften, thin and open. This process of cervical effacement and dilation continues until the cervix is completely open and thinned so that the baby's head can pass through during delivery.

The cervix meets the upper portion of the vagina and therefore can be seen during a vaginal examination with a speculum. It can also be felt during manual examination.

So what is cervical cancer? Cervical cancer is a malignant tumor that arises from the cervix, most commonly from the cells lining the surface and cavity of the cervix. Although several more rare pathological types are possible, the most common pathology is squamous cell carcinoma. The second most common type is adenocarcinoma. Squamous cell carcinoma arises from one type of cell lining the cervix, the squamous, or flattented, cells, while the adenocarcinoma arise from the secreting, glandular cells of the cervix.