Cervical cancer cell. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a cervical cancer cell. This large rounded cell has an uneven surface with many cytoplasmic projections, which may enable it to be motile. Typically, cancer cells are large and they divide rapidly in a chaotic manner. Cancer cells may clump to form tumours which may invade and destroy surrounding tissues. Cancer of the cervix (the neck of the uterus) is one of the most common cancers affecting women and can be fatal.