Cervical Cancer in Spanish

What it means

Cervical cancer is cancer that starts in the cells of the cervix, the lower, narrow end of the uterus (womb), which opens into the vagina. It usually develops slowly: before cervical cells become cancer they start to look abnormal, and these cells are called precancers. MedlinePlus says almost all cervical cancers are caused by a long-lasting infection with a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV), and that screening tests can help find abnormal cells and can also find cervical cancer early. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) describes it as usually a slow-growing cancer that may not have symptoms but can be found with regular Pap tests. MedlinePlus adds that cervical cancer usually doesn't cause symptoms when it first starts to grow.

Spanish term: Cáncer de cuello uterino
Gender and article: masculine: el cáncer de cuello uterino
Pronunciation: KAHN-sehr deh KWEH-yoh oo-teh-REE-noh

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
cáncer cervical	General	Given by the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary as another name; MedlinePlus en español also uses it in its text.
cáncer cervicouterino	General	Given by the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary as another name; MedlinePlus en español also uses it in its text.
cáncer de cérvix	General	Given by the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary as another name; MedlinePlus en español puts it in parentheses after the headword.

Cáncer de cuello uterino is the headword of both MedlinePlus en español and the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary, and it is masculine: el cáncer de cuello uterino. The NCI dictionary says it is also called cáncer cervical, cáncer cervicouterino, cáncer de cérvix and cáncer de cuello del útero. MedlinePlus en español opens with cáncer de cuello uterino (o cáncer de cérvix) and, further down the same page, also writes cáncer cervical and cáncer cervicouterino.

MedlinePlus en español describes the cuello uterino as la parte inferior y estrecha del útero (matriz). Words it uses alongside the term are virus del papiloma humano (VPH), VPH de alto riesgo for the types that cause cancer, and precáncer for cells that have started to look abnormal. The tests it names are colposcopia and biopsia de cuello uterino, and the NCI dictionary calls the Pap test prueba de Pap.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	My screening test result was abnormal. Does that mean I have cervical cancer?	El resultado de mi prueba de detección fue anormal. ¿Eso significa que tengo cáncer de cuello uterino?
Clinician	Not necessarily. We need more tests to find out.	No necesariamente. Necesitamos más pruebas para saberlo.
Clinician	I would like to do a colposcopy to look closely at your cervix.	Quisiera hacerle una colposcopia para examinar de cerca su cuello uterino.
Patient	Will you take a biopsy during that exam?	¿Me va a tomar una biopsia durante ese examen?
Clinician	If I see an abnormal area, I will take a small tissue sample.	Si veo un área anormal, tomaré una pequeña muestra de tejido.
Patient	I have had bleeding between my periods for two months.	He tenido sangrado entre mis períodos desde hace dos meses.
Clinician	Have you ever had an HPV test or a Pap test?	¿Le han hecho alguna vez una prueba de VPH o una prueba de Papanicolaou?
Patient	When will I get the biopsy results?	¿Cuándo me darán los resultados de la biopsia?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Cervical Cancer
Spanish (Español)	Cáncer de cuello uterino
Chinese (中文)	子宮頸癌
Korean (한국어)	자궁경부암
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Ung thư cổ tử cung
Filipino (Tagalog)	Kanser sa cervix
Portuguese (Português)	Câncer do colo do útero
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	มะเร็งปากมดลูก
Japanese (日本語)	子宮頸がん

Where you'll see it

oncology reportreferralchartmedical record

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: C53 → Malignant neoplasm of cervix uteri

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Reproductive health and pregnancy

All terms in this area: Reproductive health and pregnancy — Salud reproductiva y embarazo

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.