For an excellent source of international links about ovarian cancer, consult MEDline Plus , from the US National Library of Medicine. About 2,000 women die each year in the UK from cancer of the cervix. It is very rare in women who have not had this infection, but many women carry the virus without realising it. Screening for cervical cancer is done by taking cervical smear tests. These are usually done every three years, depending on the policy of your local health authority.
Smears usually look for the early changes of cervical cancer.
If these are found then you can expect to be offered a test called colposcopy, where the doctor examines the cervix with a microscope to get a closer look at the cells and take a biopsy. Its like a more intensive smear test. If a cancer does develop, the main symptom is bleeding unrelated to your period and often after sex. The message is, make sure you are screened to catch the tumour early on, often before symptoms start, when cure rates are very high. Endometrial Cancer Endometrial cancer, or cancer of the lining of the womb, is less common than cervical cancer and tends to affect older women, usually after the menopause.