Description
Cervical cancer is the second most common
female cancer (10% of total) in the world. The rates
vary seven fold worldwide with invasive cancer rare
in the developed world due to effective screening
programmes. Cervical cancer in the UK has a
bimodal age distribution with a young peak in the
under 35s and then a further peak in the more
elderly population. Since the late 1980s there has
been an increase in the incidence rates of severe
dysplasia (which includes the old term carcinoma in
situ) for women in England and Wales under 34.
This may represent a change in behaviour and
increased exposure to the causative virus HPV.
