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What Erin Andrews' Story Can Help Us Understand About Cervical Cancer
The sportscaster has said she had no symptoms of cervical cancer and was found only because, in her words, she went and got tested. Here is why testing matters.
A plain-language summary based on public reporting and trusted sources, linked below.
Please note: this page is educational only — it is not medical advice, and it does not speculate about anyone’s health beyond reliable public reporting. For questions about your own health, talk with your healthcare team.
The dates she gave
In January 2017 the Associated Press reported that Erin Andrews had been treated for cervical cancer during the NFL season just past. Andrews, then 38, is a Fox Sports sideline reporter and a co-host of Dancing with the Stars.
She told Sports Illustrated's MMQB that she had surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on October 11, 2016. She was back on the sidelines five days later. "Should I have been standing for a full game five days after surgery? Let's just say the doctor didn't recommend that," she said.
She had a second procedure on November 1. Later that month she was told that radiation and chemotherapy would not be needed.
On Good Morning America in March 2018 she said she had felt fine. "There is nothing is wrong with you. You are healthy. You go work out all of the time. There are no symptoms," she recalled being told. She also said she did not need a hysterectomy.
That is the public record. It is her account, not a forecast for anyone else.
Where this cancer begins
The cervix is the lower, narrow end of the uterus. NCI describes two kinds of cell lining it. Squamous cells cover the outer part. Columnar cells, also called glandular cells, line the inner canal.
The place where the two meet is the squamocolumnar junction. Almost all precancerous and cancerous changes start there.
The change before cancer is called dysplasia. On a pathology report it appears as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, shortened to CIN, or as adenocarcinoma in situ. In situ means the abnormal cells have not yet broken through the thin layer beneath them.
NCI says up to 90 percent of cervical cancers are squamous cell carcinoma. Most of the rest are adenocarcinoma, which starts in the glandular cells of the endocervix.
Slow, but not always
NCI's summary for clinicians puts numbers on the pace. In people with untreated in situ cervical cancer, 30 to 70 percent go on to develop invasive cancer over 10 to 12 years.
In about 10 percent, though, the change from in situ to invasive takes less than a year.
That is the whole argument for a schedule. Most of the time there is a decade of warning. Some of the time there is not. Our guide to cervical cancer screening covers the tests themselves, and our page on HPV and cancer covers the virus behind nearly all of it.
What the symptoms are, and when they arrive
NCI is blunt about the order. Early cervical cancer usually has no symptoms. Symptoms usually begin after the cancer has spread.
When early symptoms do occur, NCI lists bleeding after sex, bleeding after menopause, bleeding between periods, periods that are heavier or longer than usual, watery discharge with a strong odor or blood in it, and pelvic pain or pain during sex.
Later symptoms include painful bowel movements or rectal bleeding, painful urination or blood in the urine, a dull backache, swollen legs, belly pain, and deep tiredness.
When to get checked
Screening is for people with no symptoms, on a clock. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force sets it out by age.
- Under 21: no screening.
- 21 to 29: cytology, the Pap test, every 3 years.
- 30 to 65: a Pap every 3 years, or a test for high-risk HPV every 5 years, or both together every 5 years.
- Over 65: screening can stop if earlier screening was adequate and risk is not raised.
Symptoms are a separate track. Any bleeding after sex, between periods, or after menopause needs an appointment now, not at the next screening date.
What treatment involves
Treatment follows the FIGO stage and how much fertility matters to the person. NCI lists the options by stage.
For carcinoma in situ, that means conization, which removes a cone of tissue from the cervix, or hysterectomy after childbearing.
For stage IA, options include conization, total hysterectomy, modified radical hysterectomy with removal of nearby lymph nodes, or radical trachelectomy, which takes the cervix but leaves the uterus.
For stages IB and IIA, options include radiation with chemotherapy given at the same time, radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymph node removal, radical trachelectomy, or radiation alone.
Recurrence is most likely in the first two years, which is why follow-up visits are close together at the start. Our page on cervical cancer stages explains what each number covers.
The group picture
SEER figures describe the United States population, not one person.
Five-year relative survival for cervical cancer is 68.8 percent for cases from 2016 to 2022. By stage at diagnosis it is 91.8 percent while the cancer is still confined to the cervix, 64.0 percent once it has reached nearby lymph nodes, and 20.5 percent once it has spread further.
About 41 percent are found at that first stage. An estimated 13,490 new cases and 4,200 deaths are projected for 2026. The median age at diagnosis is 50, and the disease is diagnosed most often between 35 and 44.
What this does not mean
A short recovery and no need for chemotherapy or radiation describe one person's stage and one person's pathology. They are not a template.
Two things are worth taking from her account, and only two. She had no symptoms. She kept the appointment anyway.
Sources
- AP via CBS News, Erin Andrews Had Cervical Cancer Surgery During NFL Season — https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/erin-andrews-had-cervical-cancer-surgery-during-nfl-season/
- ABC News, Erin Andrews spreads awareness about cervical cancer — https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/wellness/story/erin-andrews-spreads-awareness-cervical-cancer-53579212
- NCI PDQ, Cervical Cancer Treatment (Health Professional Version) — https://www.cancer.gov/types/cervical/hp/cervical-treatment-pdq
- NCI, Cervical Cancer Symptoms — https://www.cancer.gov/types/cervical/symptoms
- SEER Cancer Stat Facts, Cervical Cancer — https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/cervix.html
- USPSTF, Cervical Cancer: Screening — https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/cervical-cancer-screening
How this article was prepared
An AI-assisted editorial system helped prepare this page. No named medical reviewer has reviewed it unless one is listed.
The National Cancer Information Foundation publishes Cancer Explained. This page is for learning. It is not medical advice and does not suggest a test or treatment.
See an error, old source, or unclear wording? Tell us.
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Put the story in context
Prevention, possible warning signs, screening, and diagnosis
This story relates to Cervical cancer. The information below is general: it does not reveal anything else about a public person’s health, and not every point applies to every cancer. Personal advice depends on age, symptoms, family history, exposures, and medical history.
Prevention and risk reduction
Not every cancer can be prevented. Avoiding tobacco, protecting skin from ultraviolet radiation, limiting alcohol, staying active, and receiving recommended HPV or hepatitis B vaccination can lower the risk of certain cancers. A risk factor is not a prediction or a cause in one individual.
Symptoms and possible early signs
Possible signs vary and are often caused by conditions other than cancer. Changes worth discussing include a new lump, unexplained bleeding or weight loss, a persistent cough, lasting bowel or bladder changes, a changing skin spot, or symptoms that persist or worsen. Some early cancers cause no symptoms.
Screening and early detection
Screening looks for certain cancers before symptoms begin. Recommended tests exist only for some cancers and depend on age and risk. Screening can have benefits and harms; it is not the same as evaluating a new symptom, and there is no single routine scan or blood test that reliably screens for every cancer.
How cancer is diagnosed
Diagnosis may involve a history and exam, imaging, laboratory tests, and often a biopsy. Pathology can identify the cancer type and may test biomarkers that guide treatment. Symptoms, screening results, tumor markers, or online stories alone cannot confirm cancer.
Learn about this story’s cancer topic
A public story may encourage questions, but it should not be used to estimate your risk or choose testing. Contact a healthcare professional about a persistent or concerning change. Seek urgent care for severe or rapidly worsening symptoms.