Cervical cancer and life expectancy (2023)

FAQs

What is the life expectancy of someone with cervical cancer? ›

When cervical cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, the 5-year relative survival rate is 91%. When cervical cancer is diagnosed after it has spread to nearby tissues, organs, or regional lymph nodes, the 5-year relative survival rate is 60%.

Survival for all stages of cervical cancer

more than 60 out of every 100 (more than 60%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis. more than 50 women out of every 100 (more than 50%) will survive their cancer for 10 years or more after diagnosis.

Stage 4 cervical cancer is not curable in many cases.

Small cell carcinomas of the cervix tend to be highly aggressive and have low survival rates. They've often spread to lymph nodes and other parts of the body by the time of diagnosis. Treatment options often mimic those of small cell lung cancer, and include a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Cervical cancer is curable, but it is difficult for doctors to know for sure that it will never come back following treatment. Therefore, doctors often use the term “remission” to describe cancer that has gone away and is no longer causing symptoms.

Cervical cancer develops very slowly. It can take years or even decades for the abnormal changes in the cervix to become invasive cancer cells. Cervical cancer might develop faster in people with weaker immune systems, but it will still likely take at least 5 years.

Cervical cancer is a slow-growing malignancy. In fact, once cells in the cervix begin to undergo abnormal changes, it can take several years for the cells to grow into invasive cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer survivors had higher score in emotional and social function, global health and pain. They also reported lower score in physical and role function, fatigue, appetite loss, and financial difficulties than their healthy peers.

Cervical cancer is most often diagnosed between the ages of 35 and 44. The average age of diagnosis in the United States is 50. Over 20% of cervical cancers are diagnosed after age 65. These cases usually occur in people who did not receive regular cervical cancer screenings before age 65.

What is the critical stage of cervical cancer? ›

Stage III cervical cancer

Cancer has spread to the lower third of the vagina but has not spread to the pelvic wall. Stage IIIB cervical cancer. Cancer has spread to the pelvic wall and/or the tumor has become large enough to block one or both ureters or has caused one or both kidneys to get bigger or stop working.

While any cancer diagnosis is worrying, cervical cancer is highly treatable, especially in its early stages. A hysterectomy is an effective strategy for managing the disease and a common procedure to treat people with early-stage cervical cancer.

Stage III cervical cancer is currently best managed with a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Radiation therapy is treatment with high energy x-rays that have the ability to kill cancer cells.

Cancer has spread to the lower third of the vagina, and/or to the pelvic wall, and/or has caused kidney problems, and/or involves lymph nodes. Stage III is divided into stages IIIA, IIIB, and IIIC, based on how far the cancer has spread.

It is usually a slow-growing cancer and if caught early can be successfully treated. Routine Pap smears can detect early changes in the cells of the cervix allowing cervical cancer to be diagnosed early.

If cervical cancer is undiagnosed and untreated, it will slowly spread out of the cervix and into the surrounding tissue and organs. The cancer can spread down to the vagina and the surrounding muscles that support the bones of the pelvis.

Most early-stage cervical cancers are treated with a radical hysterectomy operation, which involves removing the cervix, uterus, part of the vagina and nearby lymph nodes. A hysterectomy can cure early-stage cervical cancer and prevent recurrence. But removing the uterus makes it impossible to become pregnant.

The number of chemotherapy sessions you have depends on the type of cervical cancer and any other treatments you may be having. If you have chemotherapy without radiation therapy, you are likely to have up to six sessions, every 3–4 weeks, though it may continue for longer.

Patients who've had a minimally invasive radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer treatment have an 8% chance of the cancer coming back. In other words, one out of 10 patients will have a recurrence.

What is the main cause of cervical cancer? ›

It occurs most often in people over age 30. Long-lasting infection with certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main cause of cervical cancer. HPV is a common virus that is passed from one person to another during sex.

Becoming sexually active at an early age: The risk of high-risk HPV infection that is persistent and ultimately leads to cervical cancer is higher in people who become sexually active before age 18 and in those who have had multiple sexual partners.

Cervical cancer recurrences can be central pelvic, lateral pelvic and extra-pelvic (6,7). Central pelvic recurrence develops from the cervix and vagina after primary radiotherapy or from the vaginal cuff and central scar after radical hysterectomy.

Small cell cancers tend to grow quickly. They are more likely to spread to the lymph nodes or other areas of the body compared to the more common types of cervical cancer. Like other types of cervical cancer, small cell cervical cancer is linked to the human papilloma virus (HPV), particularly a type called HPV 18.

It is about living for as long as possible in the most satisfying way you can. As well as slowing the spread of cancer, palliative treatment can relieve any pain and help manage other symptoms. Treatment may include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy or other medicines such as hormone therapy.

Cervival cancer can also be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, exercising regularly and quitting smoking may reduce your chances of getting this cancer.

Stage 4 means the cancer has spread to the bladder or back passage (rectum) or further away. The main treatments are surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or a combination of these treatments. Or you might have treatment to control symptoms.

The findings from the study, published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention on January 9, 2023, showed nearly one in five new cervical cancers diagnosed from 2009-2018 were in women 65 and older.

About half of all cases of cervical cancer occur in women older than 50 years, yet many women over this age think they are not at risk. Research by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) shows that: older women are still at risk of cervical cancer.

How common is cervical cancer at 60? ›

In women adequately or inadequately screened with only normal results between age 51 and age 60, the cumulative incidence of cervical cancer from age 61 to 80 was 1.6 and 2.5 per 1,000 women, respectively, and further screening at age 61–65 was not associated with statistically significant decreases of cervical cancer ...

The overall survival rate after grade 4 cervical cancer is less than 19%. About 46% of patients with adenocarcinoma pass the 5-year threshold, and for squamous cell tumours, the overall rate is 60%. Without treatment, patients with advanced cervical cancer live for about two to three years.

Stage I cervical cancer is curable for the majority of patients if surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy are appropriately used. A variety of factors ultimately influence a patient's decision to receive treatment.

Although there are no curable cancers, melanoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, and breast, prostate, testicular, cervical, and thyroid cancer have some of the highest 5-year relative survival rates. Cancer is a disease that causes cells to grow and multiply uncontrollably in certain parts of the body.

Advanced cervical cancer may mean you feel sick or cause other effects that can make you lose your appetite. You may lose weight anyway because of the cancer and not feel like eating as much. Making some simple changes to your diet may help with feeling sick and getting your appetite back.

Stage 3 cervical cancer means cancer has spread to areas of the pelvis beyond the cervix. Symptoms include unusual vaginal bleeding and pelvic pain. Cervical cancer starts in the cervix, the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina.

Bladder and bowel dysfunction following total hysterectomy may be related to loss of nerve ganglia closely associated with the cervix. Increased operative and postoperative morbidity, vaginal shortening, vault prolapse, abnormal cuff granulations and oviductal prolapse are other disadvantages of total hysterectomy.

If you have surgery and your doctor is not sure that all the cancer cells have been removed, they may recommend that you have a course of chemoradiotherapy afterwards. This lowers the risk of the cancer coming back.

Is cervical cancer hereditary? Most common types of cervical cancer are not hereditary. In fact, around 70% of cervical cancers are due to infection with human papillomavirus (HPV). However, some very rare types of cervical cancer can be hereditary, meaning they have a genetic component.

What is the average age of death from cancer? ›

Cancer deaths by age

Almost half – 46% in 2017 – of all people who die from cancer are 70 or older. Another 41 percent are between 50 and 69 years old – so that 87% of all cancer victims are older than 50 years.

Brain and pancreatic cancers have much lower median survival rates which have not improved as dramatically over the last forty years. Indeed, pancreatic cancer has one of the worst survival rates of all cancers. Small cell lung cancer has a five-year survival rate of 4% according to Cancer Centers of America's Website.

In advanced stage III cases, surgery to remove the uterus and/or cervix is not necessary, as the cancer has spread throughout the pelvis and, in some cases, to the ureter. Instead, your doctor may recommend a clinical trial as a supplemental treatment option.

The 5-year relative survival rates for cervical cancer are as follows: When cervical cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, the 5-year relative survival rate is 91%. When cervical cancer is diagnosed after it has spread to nearby tissues, organs, or regional lymph nodes, the 5-year relative survival rate is 60%.

Cervical cancer is a slow-growing malignancy. In fact, once cells in the cervix begin to undergo abnormal changes, it can take several years for the cells to grow into invasive cervical cancer.

The most common places for cervical cancer to spread is to the lymph nodes, liver, lungs and bones.

Cervical cancer can sometimes be cured when it's found in earlier stages. This is more difficult to do when it has reached more advanced stages, such as stage 3. However, it can still be managed with the goal of achieving remission.

About 44% of people with cervical cancer are diagnosed at an early stage. If cervical cancer has spread to surrounding tissues or organs and/or the regional lymph nodes, the 5-year relative survival rate is 59%. If the cancer has spread to a distant part of the body, the 5-year relative survival rate is 17%.

It is usually a slow-growing cancer and if caught early can be successfully treated. Routine Pap smears can detect early changes in the cells of the cervix allowing cervical cancer to be diagnosed early.

Each year in the United States, about 13,000 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed and about 4,000 women die of this cancer. Hispanic women have the highest rates of developing cervical cancer, and Black women have the highest rates of dying from cervical cancer.

What are the symptoms of Stage 1 cervical cancer? ›

Research has found that it can take 10 to 20 years, or even longer, for HPV-infected cervical cells to develop into a cancerous tumor. Among women whose cervical cells are infected with high-risk HPV, several factors increase the chance that the infection will be long lasting and lead to precancerous cervical cells.