Survival for cervical cancer

Survival depends on many factors. No one can tell you exactly how long you will live.

Below are general statistics based on large groups of people. Remember, they can’t tell you what will happen in your individual case. 

Your doctor can give you more information about your own outlook (prognosis). You can also talk about this with the Cancer Research UK information nurses on freephone 0808 800 4040, from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

About these statistics

The terms 1 year survival and 5 year survival don't mean that you will only live for 1 or 5 years.

The NHS, other health organisations, and researchers collect information. They watch what happens to people with cancer in the years after their diagnosis. 5 years is a common time point to measure survival. But some people live much longer than this.

5 year survival is the number of people who have not died from their cancer within 5 years after diagnosis.

Survival by stage for cervical cancer

The stage of a cancer tells you about its size and whether it has spread. Your outlook (prognosis) depends on the stage of your cancer at diagnosis. 

There are no UK-wide statistics available for cervical cancer survival by stage.

Survival statistics are available for each stage of cervical cancer in England. These figures are for people diagnosed between 2013 and 2017. These statistics are non-age-standardised which means they don't take into account the age of the people with cervical cancer. 

Stage 1

Around 95 out of 100 people (around 95%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis. 

Stage 2

Almost 70 out of 100 people (almost 70%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis.

Stage 3

More than 40 out of 100 people (more than 40%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis.

Stage 4

Around 15 out of 100 people (around 15%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after being diagnosed.

Survival for all stages of cervical cancer

Generally, for people with cervical cancer in England:

  • more than 80 out of every 100 (more than 80%) will survive their cancer for 1 year or more after they are diagnosed
  • around 60 out of every 100 (around 60%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis
  • around 50 out of every 100 (around 50%) will survive their cancer for 10 years or more after diagnosis

What affects survival

Your outlook depends on the stage of the cancer when it was diagnosed. This means how big it is and whether it has spread.

The type of cancer and grade of the cancer cells can also affect your survival. Grade means how abnormal the cells look under the microscope.

Your general health and fitness also affect survival. The fitter you are, the better you may be able to cope with your cancer and treatment.

More statistics

For more in-depth information about survival and cervical cancer, go to our Cancer Statistics section.

  • Cancer survival by stage at diagnosis for England, 2019
    Office for National Statistics

  • Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology (12th edition)
    VT DeVita, TS Lawrence, SA Rosenberg
    Wolters Kluwer, 2023

  • The information on this page is based on literature searches and specialist checking. We used many references and there are too many to list here. If you need additional references for this information please contact patientinformation@cancer.org.uk with details of the particular risk or cause you are interested in.

Last reviewed: 
21 Sep 2023
Next review due: 
21 Sep 2026

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