How fast does cervical cancer grow, in case on pap smears fails to catch it?

Difficult question: Pap is the best test to detect cervical cancer. Different cancers grow at different rates. There is no clear answer to your question. However, you should be comforted with a normal pap smear. They are generally recommended yearly, perhaps more often if the test is not normal.

Depends: Usually really slowly. On average, the time to get from severe dysplasia to cancer is 10 years. However, in some women it goes faster.

Slow: In general it takes 10-12 years for cervical cancer to grow. Sometimes pap smears to miss precancerous changes and certain hpv viruses are fairly aggressive that is why it is recommended to go no longer than 3 years apart on pap smears.

It varies.: Women should start at age 20 or at start of sexual activity to get annual pap smear screening. If there is 2 consecutive negative smears, they can be done every 3 years. If a pap is negative, and cancer develops, other symptoms, like abnormal bleeding, or postcoital spotting, etc. Will be seen. Then colposcopy is done with 3% acetic acid, that shows abnormal areas as white patches.