Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd
Blue Sky Offices Shoreham, 25 Cecil Pashley Way, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, BN43 5FF, UNITED KINGDOM
Tel: +44 (0)1273 434 943
Email: [email protected]
Almost a third of patients who are eligible for cervical screening, around 4.6 million, are not taking up invitations for the life-saving test.
More than 2,700 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in England and the NHS screening programme helps save around 5,000 lives each year. Around five million invites were sent in the last full year (2021/22) – up by over a tenth (10.5%) on pre-pandemic levels.
For #CervicalCancerPreventionWeek, senior NHS medics are urging people to take the test to check for high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV), which is found in over 99% of all cervical cancers and which may cause abnormal cells to develop in the cervix. These abnormal cells can, over time, turn into cancer if left untreated.
Potential to completely eradicate a disease
GP and NHS Interim Medical Director for Primary Care, Dr Kiren Collison said: “We have made great progress on our Cervical Screening Programme and the combined effects of the HPV vaccine and the new, more sensitive way of screening for cervical cancer means that we have the opportunity to eliminate cervical cancer altogether.
“Having the potential to completely eradicate a disease that affects thousands of people every year is remarkable, but in order to do this, it is vital that people take up the offer of a test.”
Screening involves taking a small sample of cells from the cervix and looking for high-risk HPV that could develop into cervical cancer if left untreated. Eligible people aged between 25 to 64 are invited by letter every 3-5 years depending on their age, or more frequently if HPV or cell changes are detected.
The NHS achieved an increase in cervical screening in 2021/22 with 3.5 million women aged 25-64 being screened, up 9.4% from the previous year (19/20) when 3.2 million were screened.
Minister for Women’s Health Maria Caulfield said: “I have seen first hand through working as a nurse in a cancer unit how important it is to detect this cruel disease early and the NHS cervical screening programme is an vital way of detecting risk of and preventing cervical cancers.
“We’re improving the cervical screening process, including opening up 24/7 laboratory screening and expanding the locations options available – so people can get their results faster and their tests easier.”
Cervical screening is available by appointment at local GP practices and at some local sexual health services. The NHS is also trialling self-screening for cervical cancer at home, with the results of that pilot set to inform whether it should be rolled out nationally.