Text size 
Cervical Cancer
Cancer of the cervix was once the most common type of cancer in women. Today, better testing that helps doctors detect changes in the cervix before cancer develops has made cervical cancer less common. In 2006, cancer of the cervix was diagnosed in approximately 1 out of every 10,000 women over the age of 20 in the United States. The disease occurs most often in women over 40.
The exact causes of cervical cancer are not known. Risk factors that have been suggested as possible causes include infection with human papillomavirus (HPV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), or the common sexually transmitted disease chlamydia; smoking; older age; having first sexual intercourse before age 18; and having many sexual partners, or having sexual partners who have had their first sexual intercourse young and/or have had many sexual partners themselves.
