If cell changes are detected at a late stage, there is a risk that they may spread to other organs.
The procedures required to operate on the cancer cells can result in infertility.
But the future looks bright.
Cervical cancer is the form of cancer that is clearly seen to be eradicated in the near future.
This is something that several researchers, including from Sweden, have come to.
The reason is that it is caused by the HPV virus.
- We will pass on cervical cancer to the history books and we have an opportunity to do so, says Ulrika Årehed Kågström, Secretary General of the Cancer Foundation.
Hear her tell how cervical cancer can be eradicated in the clip above.