Pathology and staging of cervical cancer

Pathology refers to the examination of tissue under a microscope in order to find out whether it's cancerous or non-cancerous and to determine the type of tumour it is. Different types of tumours can involve the cervix.

Benign tumours

Benign tumours are non-cancerous growths that do not spread to other parts of the body and are not usually life-threatening:

• cervical polyp
• nabothian cyst
• cervical fibroid

Precancerous conditions

Precancerous conditions have the potential to develop into cancer:

• cervical dysplasia
• cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN)
• squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL)
• atypical glandular cells

Malignant tumours

Malignant tumours are cancerous growths that have the potential to metastasize (spread to other parts of the body):

• squamous cell carcinoma
  • most common type (about 80–90% of cervical tumours)
• adenocarcinoma
  • second most common type (about 10% of cervical tumours)
• rare malignant tumours
  • adenosquamous carcinoma (mixed carcinoma)
  • glassy cell carcinoma
  • adenoid cystic carcinoma
  • adenoid basal epithelioma
  • small cell carcinoma
  • carcinoid tumour
  • sarcoma of the cervix
  • melanoma of the cervix
  • lymphoma of the cervix

Once the type of tumour has been diagnosed, the doctor will also consider:

• the grade of the tumour (how abnormal the cancer cells look and behave)
• the stage of the cancer (how far the cancer has progressed) and if it has spread
• prognostic factors (special characteristics that might influence the course of the disease)
• survival statistics for the particular type and stage of cancer

All of this information helps the doctor make a treatment plan and counsel patients about their prognosis.

See a list of questions to ask your doctor about pathology and staging.