Free or Low-Cost Pap Test To find out if you qualify, call your local program. Cervical Cancer Podcast Learn how regular Pap tests can save your life by watching a CDC podcast. Support and Resources Other resources related to gynecologic cancers are available.

Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control. Cancer is always named for the part of the body where it starts, even if it spreads to other body parts later. When cancer starts in the cervix, it is called cervical cancer. The cervix is the lower, narrow end of the uterus. Also known as the womb, the uterus is where a baby grows when a woman is pregnant. The cervix connects the upper part of the uterus to the vagina (birth canal).

Cervical cancer is the easiest female cancer to prevent, because there is a vaccine and a screening test available. It also is highly curable when found and treated early.

Learn more by reading Cervical Cancer Basic Information, downloading the Inside Knowledge campaign’s cervical cancer fact sheet (PDF 270KB), or listening to the cervical cancer podcast.

Who gets cervical cancer?

All women are at risk for cervical cancer. It occurs most often in women aged 30 years and older. In 2004,^* 11,892 women in the United States were told they had cervical cancer, and 3,850 died from the disease.^†

It is important to get tested for cervical cancer because 6 of 10 cervical cancers occur in women who have never received a Pap test or have not been tested in the past five years.

The human papillomavirus (HPV), a common virus that can be passed from one person to another during sex, is the main cause of cervical cancer and also causes many vaginal and vulvar cancers. At least half of sexually active people will have HPV at some point in their lives. Keep in mind, many people will have an HPV infection at some time in their lives, but few women will get cervical cancer.
 

^†U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States Cancer Statistics: 2004 Incidence and Mortality. Atlanta (GA): Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Cancer Institute; 2007.
^*The most recent year for which statistics are currently available.

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