Benign tumors are not cancer. They can usually be removed and, in most cases, they do not come back. Most important, cells from benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the body. Polyps, cysts, and genital warts are types of benign growths of the cervix. Malignant tumors are cancer.
Cancer cells can invade and damage tissues and organs near the tumor.
Cancer cells also can break away from malignant tumor and enter the lymphatic system or the bloodstream. This is how cancer of the cervix can spread to other parts of the body, such as nearby lymph nodes, the rectum, the bladder, the bones of the spine, and the lungs. The spread of cancer is called metastasis. Cancer of the cervix also may be called cervical cancer. Like most cancers, it is named for the part of the body in which it begins.