Cervical Cancer Types - OmniMedicalSearch.com

Conditions & Diseases: Cancers

Cervical Cancer

Types

There are two main types of cervical cancer classified according to a single criterion, the cancerous cells’ appearance.

Squamous cell carcinoma. This type of cancer accounts for 80 to 90 percent of all cervical cancers. It develops in the thin, flat cells (called squamous cells) that cover the surface of the endocervix (the cervix section closest to the uterus). Squamous cell carcinoma occurs where the endocervix meets the ectocervix.
Adenocarcinoma. This type of cancer accounts for 10 to 20 percent of all cervical cancers. Adenocarcinoma is more common among women born in the last 20 to 30 years. It develops in the gland cells within the endocervix.

In some cases, cervical cancer can have the features of the both types of cells (squamous cells or gland cells) and is called mixed carcinoma or adenosquamous carcinomas.

Article by Alina Morrow, MS
Medical Writer
OmniMedicalSearch.com