Shropshire Star

Importance of smear tests highlighted following cervical cancer surge

A surge in the number of women in their late 20s being diagnosed with cervical cancer highlights the importance of attending smear test appointments, a Shrewsbury health professional has said.

Published

Rates of the disease rocketed in the danger age band by more than half in little over a decade — with experts blaming a drop in screening uptake.

Paul Hatton, Care Quality Commission manager at Summerfield Healthcare, a private GP practice in Shrewsbury, says the drop in people turning up for the tests may be down to difficulty in getting GP appointments.

One of the reasons the practice launched private cervical smear testing appointments was due to the wait women are facing for the results of their cervical smears to be analysed.

Women in Shropshire are having to wait up to three months, despite the NHS aiming for results to be with patients within a two-week period.

The practice in Shrewsbury says its results take a maximum of three weeks.

The HPV vaccine, which protects against the killer, was introduced in 2008.

It means women now aged between 25 and 29 were the last group not to benefit from the jab as girls.

But they are the least likely to get screened.

There were 12 cases per 100,000 women in their late 20s in 2006, rising to 18.5 cases per 100,000 in 2016.

Alternatives

Mr Hatton said: "The difficulty of getting a GP appointment highlights the problems it causes for this group.

"There are alternatives. We offer a flexible service. You don't need a referral and just need to book an appointment.

"It's especially important to have a smear if you are from a high risk group.

"The need for the test is highlighted by the number of people diagnosed with the illness."

He says the practice chose to introduce a female health service with a dedicated GP due to the number of inquiries it received.

Overall, cervical cancer rates among women of all ages fell from 18.8 per 100,000 in 1986 to 9.4 cases per 100,000 in 2005.

Cervical smear testing is intended to detect abnormalities within the cervix that could, if undetected and untreated, develop into cervical cancer.

The symptoms of cervical cancer aren’t always obvious and there may not be any until it has reached an advanced stage.

The most common and earliest sign of cervical cancer tends to be irregular bleeding.