Once cervical cells begin to change, it typically takes 10-15 years before invasive cervical cancer develops. As the cells change, they first become "pre-cancerous" - a condition also known as "dysplasia" or CIN - the abbreviation for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. If detected early, dysplasia can be treated before the cells become cancerous. See the discussion of dysplasia on the Web site.

Early cervical cancer may not cause noticeable signs or symptoms. Women should have yearly check-ups, including a Pap smear to check for abnormal cells in the cervix. One of the greatest risk factors is infection with HPV (human papillomavirus). A weakened immune system is also a risk factor for cervical cancer.

Cancers are rare in small polyps (less than 1 cm. or 1/4 inch). 50% of polyps greater than 2 cm. in size are cancerous. Fortunately, 70% of polyps discovered on a routine colonoscopy are less than 1 cm. in size- It takes about 10 years for a cancer to develop into a benign polyp.

The primary risk factors associated with cervical cancer are age, a woman's sexual habits, and infection with a high-risk strain of human papillomavirus (HPV). Lifestyle, race, and other factors probably affect a woman's chances of developing cervical cancer.

Cancer is a disease in which abnormal (malignant) cells grow out of proportion and results in a lump or tumor. They may invade the local tissues and spread (metastasize). There is an alteration (mutation) in the genes that control normal cell growth and death (either hereditary or due to environmental/acquired factors). Thus abnormal/cancer cells get out of control of the cell regulatory mechanisms and keep on dividing and do not die, resulting in a tumor.

In Europe, cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among young women (between 15-44). In Europe 40 women die each day of cervical cancer. In the UK there are approximately 2,800 new cases of cervical cancer every year and about 1,100 deaths every year. This means in the UK, 21 women on average die each week from cervical cancer.

No, even though a gene mutation may be present, you are not at 100% risk for developing cancer. An individual with a BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 alteration is more likely to develop cancer than an individual without an alteration. However, not every individual who has a BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 alteration will develop cancer, because genes are not the only factor affecting cancer risk.

Bowel cancer is also known as colon, rectal or colorectal cancer. The lining of the bowel is made up of cells that are constantly being renewed. Sometimes these cells grow too quickly, forming a clump of cells, known as a bowel polyp. Polyps are not bowel cancers but they can develop into cancer over a number of years. Bowel cancer can develop in any part of the large bowel, including the colon and rectum.

A woman can be infected with HPV at a young age but not develop cervical cancer for many years because it generally takes awhile for the disease to progress. The highest burden of diagnosis of cervical cancer is among women aged 35 to 44. Cervical cancer is extremely rare in women under the age of 20.

There are about 450,000 new cases of cervical cancer worldwide each year. Cervical cancer develops gradually over a long period of time through a sequence of precursor lesions. Persistent infections with high-risk human papillomaviruses (HR-HPV) have been demonstrated to be causatively involved in the pathogenesis of cervical cancer and its precursor lesions.

HPV is short for human papillomavirus. An HPV infection is usually harmless and temporary: most people with HPV will never know they are infected because the virus usually goes away on its own. There are many types of this common virus, and only a few “high-risk” types can lead to cervical cancer. These high-risk HPV types are spread through sexual contact. There are also “low-risk” types of HPV that can cause genital warts but do not cause cancer.

Most cervical cancers can be prevented. Pap tests are an effective way to detect problems. Once these problems are detected, treatment can stop these complications before they develop into invasive cervical cancer.

In general, it takes 10-14 days to mount a response to a vaccine if it is the body's first exposure. Then it takes approximately seven days after the second exposure.

In 2005, the American Cancer Society estimates that 211,240 women in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. About 40,410 women will die from the disease this year.

Once a cell has transformed into a cancerous state, it begins to divide and multiply. In most cancers, these cells form a lump, or tumour, that can invade surrounding tissue. The tumour puts pressure on healthy cells around it, and may also secrete enzymes to break down that tissue. By the time a tumour is detected, it will contain billions of cells.

Cervical cancer is primarily caused by the HPV virus (99.7%). So a vaccine stopping HPV would appear to stop cervical cancer. Among the vaccines under development, two of the companies are in Phase III clinical trials (Glaxo & Merck) and appear close to providing data to the FDA. These vaccines focus in on HPV types 16 and 18 which account for 70% of the cervical cancers.

Most precancerous conditions of the cervix could be detected and treated before cancer develops if all women had pelvic exams and Pap tests regularly. This way, most invasive cancers could be prevented. Any invasive cancer that does occur would likely be found at an early, curable stage.