Don’t fear the smear! CERVICAL SCREENING NEWS FROM YOUR GP PRACTICE DR MAASSARANI & PARTNERS
Cervical cancer is the most common cancer in women under the age of 35. The best way to detect cervical cancer at its earliest stages is by having a routine cervical examination, otherwise knows as a ‘smear’ test. Women approaching their 25th birthday are invited to arrange an appointment with the nurse for their first cervical smear. Women over 25 are invited every 3 years until the age of 49 and then you are called for the screening every 5 years. This includes women who have had the HPV vaccination, as the vaccine doesn’t guarantee complete protection against cervical cancer. Shockingly, 1 in 3 young women don’t attend their cervical screening when invited and screening is estimated to save around 4000 lives per year.
THE JADE GOODY EFFECT HAS IT WORN OFF? Reality star’s death from cervical cancer in 2009 saw record numbers of women book in for a smear. But has the Jade Goody effect worn off? According to NHS figures, nearly half a million more women attended a smear test in the wake of Jade’s death in early 2009. Yet just nine years later, the number of screenings have hit a 20 year low. Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust warned “the Jade Goody effect had long gone” and said more mothers, daughters, sisters and friends will be lost to cervical cancer if this does not change. Women lead increasingly busy lives with demands on our time with our families, friends and our careers. We get that reminder letter through the post, vow to book in for our smear and then leave it in the post pile. Yet early detection is the key to survival from cervical cancer and the only way to detect it is to get a smear test done. Jade said in an interview before he death that she had ignored a few letters about abnormal cells following a smear test and was really “annoyed with herself” for not taking it more seriously. Cervical screening does need to be taken seriously. If you have received a letter recently to undergo a routine cervical screening examination and haven’t yet booked your appointment, please call us Monday to Friday, after 11am on 0151 244 4001.
DR MAASSARANI & PARTNERS
WWW.MAZMEDICAL.NHS.UK