Cervical cancer

A human papillomavirus (HPV)-related malignancy, preventable by HPV vaccination, screening, and treatment of high-grade dysplasia.

Cervical cancer screening by cytology (Pap testing) alone, Pap and HPV co-testing, or primary HPV testing may detect pre-invasive disease.

Patients are commonly asymptomatic at presentation, and identified following screening. Patients with advanced disease may present with symptoms such as abnormal vaginal bleeding, postcoital bleeding, vaginal discharge, pelvic or back pain, dyspareunia, or obstructive uropathy.

Staging using International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) criteria is based on clinical assessment only. When available, advanced imaging modalities (MRI, PET, PET/CT, CT) are used to evaluate the local extent of disease and to screen for metastases, which may guide treatment planning.

For microinvasive disease, treatment with conisation is recommended.

For early stage invasive disease, surgery is recommended.

For locally advanced disease, chemoradiotherapy is significantly superior to radiotherapy alone.

Cervical cancer is a human papillomavirus-related malignancy of the uterine cervical mucosa.