Stages, types and grades of cervical cancer
Knowing the type of cancer you have helps your doctor decide on which treatment you need. There are 2 main types of cervical cancer:
squamous cell carcinoma
adenocarcinoma
They are named after the type of cell that becomes cancerous.
Squamous cells are the flat, skin-like cells covering the cervix's outer surface (the ectocervix).
Between 80 and 90 out of every 100 cervical cancers (80 to 90%) are squamous cell cancers.
Adenocarcinoma is a cancer that starts in the gland cells that produce mucus. The cervix has glandular cells scattered along the inside of the passage that runs from the cervix to the womb (endocervix).
Adenocarcinoma is less common than squamous cell cancer, but has become more common in recent years. Between 10 and 20 out of every 100 cervical cancers (10 to 20%) are adenocarcinomas.
Adenocarcinoma is treated in the same way as squamous cell cancer of the cervix.
Adenosquamous cancers are tumours that have both squamous and glandular cancer cells. This is a rarer type of cervical cancer. Between 3 to 10 out of every 100 cervical cancers (3 to 10%) are this type.
Adenosquamous cancers are treated similarly to squamous cell cancers of the cervix.
Small cell cancer of the cervix is a very rare type of cervical cancer. Less than 5 in every 100 cervical cancers (5%) diagnosed are this type.
Small cell cancers tend to grow quickly and are treated differently from the more common types of cervical cancer.
Find out more about small cell cancer of the cervix
Very rarely, other types of cancer can occur in the cervix. For example, lymphomas and sarcomas. They are treated in a different way to cervical cancer.
Find out about lymphomas and sarcomas and their treatment
The grade of a cancer tells you how much the cancer cells look like normal cells.
The grade gives your doctor an idea of how the cancer might behave and what treatment you need.
The grades of cancer cells are from 1 to 3:
grade 1 (low grade) look most like normal cells
grade 2 look a bit like normal cells
grade 3 (high grade) look very abnormal and not like normal cells
Last reviewed: 20 Sept 2023
Next review due: 20 Sept 2026
The stage of a cancer tells you about its size and whether it has spread. The type means the type of cell the cancer started from. The grade means how abnormal the cells look under the microscope.
Your treatment depends on several factors. These include what type of cervical cancer you have, how big it is, whether it has spread (the stage) and the grade. It also depends on your general health.
You usually start by seeing your GP if you have symptoms that could be due to cervical cancer. Your doctor will then decide whether to do tests or refer you to a specialist.
Cervical screening uses HPV primary screening. The cervical cells are first of all tested for the HPV virus. If high risk HPV is found, the laboratory will test the sample for cell changes.
Cervical cancer is when abnormal cells in the lining of the cervix grow uncontrollably and eventually form a growth (tumour).
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