Cervical cancer: What every woman needs to know

Cervical Cancer Prevention Week

© Alexander Raths - Fotolia.com

When Big Brother star Jade Goody contracted cervical cancer in 2008, her battle against the illness sparked a sudden rise in the numbers of young women going to be screened.
But since her death at the tragically young age of 27, and despite the huge press attention her plight received, those numbers have plummeted again.
Last year, one in five women failed to attend an appointment for free cervical screening.
A recent survey for gynaecological cancer research charity The Eve Appeal also showed women’s awareness of cervical cancer remains “woefully low”.
Now, for Cervical Cancer Prevention Week (January 22-28), experts are desperately trying to raise awareness of the illness once more – and urge women to have a regular smear test.
Up to 1,000 women in Britain die from the illness every year, with 2,800 new cases diagnosed. More than half of those cases involve women below the age of 50 – in fact, it is the second most common cancer in women under 35.
Yet, as Richard Winder, deputy director of NHS Cancer Screening, said: "Unlike many cancers, cervical cancer is a largely preventable disease.
"A woman can control her risk of developing the disease by being screened regularly. Any abnormalities that might be found can then be treated in order that they do not go on to develop into cancer.
"Where a cervical cancer is found through screening, it is usually at a very early stage where treatment has a greater chance of success.
"It is essential that women are aware of this when deciding whether or not to be screened. Cervical screening is estimated to save 4,500 lives a year in England alone."
For under-18s the first step is to get vaccinated: since 2008 there has been a national programme to immunise girls against the human papilloma virus (HPV), two strains of which are responsible for about 70 per cent of cervical cancer cases.
The jab is given in three doses over a period of around six months, and a new version of the vaccine, Gardasil, to be given from September 2012, also protects against genital warts as well as cervical cancer.
Because the HPV vaccine does not guard against every form of cervical cancer, the next step is regular cervical screening, provided free by the NHS to all women aged between 25 and 65 – also known as a smear test, where a small sample of cells is taken from the cervix for examination.
Doctors recommend women between 25 and 49 should be screened every three years, and those between 50 and 65 every five. The last step is to arm yourself with the facts.
As Gemma Byrne of The Eve Appeal says: “The earlier cervical cancer is diagnosed, the better the outcome will be, so even if women have been vaccinated and had regular screening, none of these is 100 per cent effective so women owe it to themselves to be aware of the early warning signs”
While there are no symptoms in the early stages, unusual bleeding – which can occur after sex, in between periods or after the menopause – is often the first noticeable cause for concern.
Other signs may include pain in and around the vagina when having sex, an unpleasant smelling discharge, pain when passing urine or, in the more advanced stages, blood in the urine, loss of bladder control, bone pain, leg and kidney swelling and weight loss.
The important thing is to seek your GP’s advice if you notice any of these unusual signs.

 

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