Women who miss smear tests urged to call GP

That is the message from staff at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, which has joined a new campaign launched to raise awareness of the risks of cervical cancer and highlight the benefits of screening.

Two women die every day from cervical cancer in England.

Women can protect themselves against the risk of cervical cancer by attending their screening when invited – it is estimated that cervical screening saves around 5,000 lives each year.

However, cervical screening is at a 20-year low, with one in four women in the UK not attending their test.

Dr Jill Blackmore, lead colposcopist, has made an appeal to women to avoid putting off making an appointment.

She said: “People are often too embarrassed to attend their smear test. They worry it will be painful, that they should have a wax before they go, that it will take a long time.

“We don’t talk to our friends and daughters about smears, and if we do it is usually in a negative way.

"Cervical screening is positive, it takes only a couple of minutes every three-five years, and means that in many cases we can catch cancer before it develops in the first place.

"There is nothing to be scared of and it could save your life.

“We would urge anyone who has missed their smear test to pick up the phone to your GP and book it now.”

Everyone with a cervix, between the ages of 25 and 64, is invited to attend cervical screening every three or five years, depending on their age.

The screening test, which only lasts a few minutes, is not a test for cancer.

Procedure

In fact, attending regular screenings can help stop cervical cancer before it starts by preventing potentially harmful cells from developing.

Cynthia Davies, 56, of Telford, missed her smear test but after attending an appointment years later she was told her results showed some abnormal cells.

She said: "I was told I needed to go to the hospital for a colposcopy, a procedure which would take a more in-depth look at my cervix.

"Two days later my consultant called and asked me to go and see him at the hospital, where he gave me the devastating news that I had cervical cancer.

"I was shocked to receive my diagnosis. Although the hospital said they had caught it early and were hopeful treatment would be effective, I thought ‘This is it, I’m going to die.’ I cried and cried and my daughter had to come and pick me up as I felt like I was going to physically collapse.

"From there on in, treatment progressed very quickly and the hospital was amazing. I underwent a full hysterectomy and had lymph nodes and part my vagina removed.

"To make sure the cancer hadn’t spread any further I also had five weeks of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

"The treatment was gruelling and made me feel very sick, but I didn’t lose my hair and was still able to go to my daughter’s wedding shortly after treatment ended.

"I have now been cancer free for 18 months. I have to come to the hospital every three months for a colposcopy, but if my results remain clear, then from June onwards I will only need to be seen every six months."

She has made her own plea to women that they shouldn't put off going for a smear test.

She added: "Don’t put it off, don’t ignore the letter inviting you to go along, it takes five minutes, isn’t embarrassing, doesn’t hurt and it could save your life.

"If I had made the time to go to my appointment all those years ago then I could almost certainly have avoided everything I have been through during the last two years."