HPV infection is responsible for causing cervical cancer, but what is cervical cancer? Cervical cancer occurs when cells in the cervix (the “mouth” of the uterus, found at the end of the vagina) become infected with HPV and start multiplying unregulated. The tumor from cervical cancer grows very slowly, and the person with this type of cancer experiences no symptoms until the tumor has extensively invaded the surrounding tissue. Vaginal bleeding may occur late in the course of the disease.

If cervical cancer is detected early, it can be readily treated with surgery, but chemotherapy and radiation treatment are necessary if the cancer is already wide spread by the time it is diagnosed. The mortality rate is not high, but close to 4,000 people still died from cervical cancer in 2008 because this cancer is so common.