Cervical cancer

Definition of cervical cancer

cervical cancer

(SER-vih-kul KAN-ser)
Cancer that forms in tissues of the cervix (the organ connecting the uterus and vagina). It is usually a slow-growing cancer that may not have symptoms but can be found with regular Pap tests (a procedure in which cells are scraped from the cervix and looked at under a microscope). Cervical cancer is almost always caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.

Source: NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms