Cervical Cancer - Introduction

(Page 2)

(See Pap smear section in Diagnosis for more detail about these terms.)

If further testing is needed, a colposcopy is usually performed. Results for colposcopy are reported as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN).These precancerous changes are categorized according to severity: CIN I, CIN II, and CIN III. (See Colposcopy section in Diagnosis for more detail about these terms.)

CIN III is considered the same as carcinoma in situ (CIS) or Stage 0 cervical cancer. The cancer has not yet invaded deeper tissues. However, if not surgically removed, there is a high chance it can progress to invasive cancer.

Click the icon to see an image of cervical dysplasia.

Invasive Cervical Cancer

The cells of the epithelium rest on a very thin layer called the basement membrane. Invasive cervical cancer occurs when cancer cells in the epithelium cross this membrane and invade the stroma, the underlying supportive tissue of the cervix.

In later stages, the original cancer may spread to areas surrounding the uterus and cervix or near organs such as the bladder or rectum. It may also spread to distant sites in the body through the bloodstream or the lymph nodes.

Review Date: 10/21/2010
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).