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Cervical cancer at a glance

Cervical cancer affects around 2,800 women each year in the UK, and is the second most common cancer in women under 35.

Cervical cancer is one of the few cancers that can be prevented, because pre-cancerous cells can be detected at an early stage by screening and simply treated. The national cervical cancer screening programme has prevented an epidemic of cervical cancer in UK, saving thousands of lives every year.

Almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by high risk strains of the human papilloma virus (HPV). All girls in England aged 12-13 are now offered a vaccination against the two most common types of high-risk HPV. Current vaccines have the potential to prevent around 7 out of 10 cases of cervical cancer.

Cancer Research UK is funding research into the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer, including finding ways to improve the screening process.

To find out more about the causes, symptoms, screening and treatment of cervical cancer, please visit CancerHelp UK.

To read more about Cancer Research UK’s research into bowel cancer, visit our Research Highlights.