Understanding Cervical Cancer

The words “cervical” and “cancer” understandably invokes feelings of fear among people.  Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States.  Millions of people (fifty percent of men and one third of all women) will face a diagnosis of cancer at one point in their life.  Cancer is defined as a disease or group of diseases where cells in part of your body grow uncontrollably.  Normally your body will grow, divide and lose cells in a relatively orderly manner.  Cancerous cells on the other hand, do not die off as normal cells, instead they continue to grow and produce more abnormal cells.  Not only do cancer cells continue to grow, they also have the ability to invade other tissues.

Cancerous cells are cells that have abnormal DNA.  The abnormalities may be be caused by genetic defects or a result of something you are exposed to in your environment.  Currently there is no cure available for cancer.  Each form of cancer responds differently to treatment, making prevention or early detection important for individuals at a high risk for developing cancer.
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