Cervical cancer is the second most common type of cancer in women worldwide, after breast cancer.
The American Cancer Society predicts that there will be about 12,800 new cases of invasive cervical cancer in the year 2000. There are several different types of cancer of the cervix. Cancers of the cervix can take many years to develop and there are usually no symptoms for a long period before the disease becomes evident. Therefore, routine screening is critical to detect early changes and prevent progression to invasive disease. When diagnosed early, most cervical cancers are curable.