If cervical cancer spreads

Cancer cells can spread from the cervix to other parts of the body. This spread is called metastasis.

Understanding how a type of cancer usually grows and spreads helps your healthcare team plan your treatment and future care. If cervical cancer spreads, it can spread to the following:

  • the vagina
  • the uterus
  • nearby lymph nodes in the pelvis and back of the abdomen
  • tissue and ligaments around the cervix and uterus
  • the pelvis
  • the bladder
  • the rectum
  • distant lymph nodes in the chest and above the collarbone
  • the abdominal cavity
  • the mediastinum
  • the lungs
  • the liver
  • bone

Expert review and references

  • Klopp AH, Eifel PJ, Berek JS, Konstantinopoulos PA . Cancer of the cervix, vagina and vulva. DeVita VT Jr, Lawrence TS, Rosenberg SA. Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology. 10th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2015: 72:1013-1047.
  • Levine DA, Dizon DS, Yashar CM, Barakat RR, Berchuch A, Markman M, Randall ME. Handbook for Principles and Practice of Gynecologic Oncology. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer; 2015.
  • Oleszewski K . Cervical cancer. Yarbro CH, Wujcki D, Holmes Gobel B, (eds.). Cancer Nursing: Principles and Practice. 8th ed. Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning; 2018: 50: 1397 - 1421.
  • US National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Cervical cancer. 2017: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000893.htm.