This Cervical Cancer Prevention Week The Eve Appeal are making more people aware of the importance of screenings.
This week (21st-28th January) marks Cervical Cancer Prevention Week – an event founded by Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust to honour British reality TV star Jade Goody, who passed away from the disease at just 27 years old.
The event works to highlight the importance of attending regular screenings, which are offered by the NHS to all women and people with a cervix aged between 25 and 64.
The test looks for the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) – the virus that causes cervical cancer – and involves taking a sample of cells from the cervix. If any abnormal cells are detected they can be removed or monitored to stop cancer from developing.
Against this backdrop, the latest figures from NHS England show more than five million eligible women are not up to date with their routine screening, with the lowest uptake being among women aged between 25 and 29 (58%).
The figure was obtained from a survey carried out by YouGov ahead of Cervical Cancer Prevention Week that was comprised of more than 1,100 women.
With this statistic in mind, The Eve Appeal charity said more women should be made aware that they can ask for screening adjustments to make their experience more comfortable.
Some of the adjustments include asking for the screening to stop at any time if it is causing too much discomfort, booking double appointments so they have plenty of time for the procedure and don’t feel rushed, and inserting or guiding the speculum themselves so they feel more in control.
Athena Lamnisos, chief executive of The Eve Appeal, remarked that the number of women not attending their cervical cancer screening test is ‘worrying’ and that any barriers people experience around the appointments could be ‘easily overcome’.
She added: ‘There are really simple, straightforward things that you can ask for that patients just aren’t aware of.’
By 2040 NHS England are aiming to eliminate cervical cancer with the use of screenings and the HPV vaccine – a tool that is cutting cases by 90% in England, according to research.
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