Read article Types of cervical cancer
This page is about the main types of cervical cancer. If you are looking for information about abnormal smears, you need to go to either the screening page, which has information about what smear results mean. Or the section on treating abnormal cervical cells.
There are two main types of cervical cancer
- Squamous cell cancer
- Adenocarcinoma
They are named after the type of cell that becomes cancerous. Squamous cells are the flat skin like cells that cover the outer surface of the cervix (the ectocervix). Squamous cell cancer is the most common type of cervical cancer.
Adenomatous cells are gland cells that produce mucus. The cervix has these gland cells scattered along the inside of the passageway that runs from the cervix to the womb (the endocervical canal). Adenocarcinoma is a cancer of these gland cells. It is less common than squamous cell cancer, but has become more common in recent years. Between 1 in 10 and 1 in 20 cases of cervical cancer are adenocarcinoma. It is treated in the same way as squamous cell cancer of the cervix.
Other rarer types of cancer
Very rarely, other types of cancer can occur in the cervix. For example, lymphoma, which is a cancer of the lymphatic system. If you have this rare cancer, then this section is not the right one for you. We have another section about lymphoma and its treatment.
Rated 5 out of 5 based on 3 votes
- Share this: Tweet
-
-
- Print this page
-
Email this page
Increase text size
Decrease text size
Print page
Print basket
Save pages here and print in one go
Nurse helpline
Questions about cancer? Call freephone
0808 800 4040
or email us
