The uterus is a hollow organ, pear-shaped, located in the lower abdomen of the woman, between the bladder and rectum. The lower part of the uterus, the closer, opens to the vagina.This is the cervix. The upper, widest, is called "the body". It communicates with the tubes and ovaries and hosts the fetus during pregnancy. It is composed of two layers of fabric: an inner layer called the endometrium and an outer layer, the myometrium.

When the woman is not pregnant, the uterus is small (about ten centimeters long). During pregnancy, the myometrium is weakened: the size of the uterus expands to accommodate the fetus.

Among women age design, the endometrium is experiencing a series of monthly changes associated with hormonal changes of menstrual cycle. Each month the endometrium grows and thickens in anticipation of receiving a fertilized egg. Menstruation occurs when fertilization has not occurred. The unfertilized and dead cells of the endometrium is then removed with the menstrual blood.

Early symptoms of the most frequent cancer of the cervix is bleeding occurring outside the menstrual period, either spontaneously or after sex. An abnormal increase of vaginal discharge can also be regarded as a symptom, although in the vast majority of cases it is caused by other diseases or infections. These warning signs do not necessarily mean it is cancer, but they require the advice of a doctor, a clinical examination and possible further investigations.

If the clinical examination of the cervix led the doctor to find abnormal areas, it may take a small tissue sample to be tested under a microscope. If clinical examination reveals nothing abnormal, but the result of a smear indicates the presence of precancerous or cancerous cells, the doctor then applies reagents that 'reveal' injuries. These areas can then lead to a biopsy for smear alone does not suggest the diagnosis of cancer.

To facilitate biopsies of the cervix, the doctor may use a colposcope. It is an instrument that magnifies the image of the vagina and uterus. It allows a very accurate observation of suspicious areas before biopsy. The examination is called colposcopy.

The tissues are sent to a pathologist, a doctor specializing in the observation of cells under a microscope. It can recognize and interpret cellular changes caused by the disease. It examines the samples and determine if their appearance reveals dysplasia (which is not cancer, but a lesion that can become cancerous) carcinoma in situ, or cervical cancer. Carcinoma in situ is a precancerous lesion, located in a very shallow area of the cervix.

If the analysis indicates the presence of cervical cancer, it is possible to estimate the degree of extension of clinical examination and practicing some imaging tests (CT and MRI).