What is Cervical Cancer?
Cervical cancer is a gynaecological cancer that affects women and people with a cervix. Other gynaecological cancers include uterine (womb) cancer, ovarian cancer, vulval and vaginal cancer.
Cervical cancer is the most common form of gynaecological cancer in people under the age of 35. It is preventable and curable if detected and treated early, and the way it is detected is by cervical screening.
What is Cervical Screening?
Cervical screening, also known as a “smear test”, is not a test for cancer. It is a test to help identify early changes, which can be treated so cancer is prevented.
Screening involves an examination of the health of the cervix, and a sample of cells is taken so that it can be tested. The sample is first checked for types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that can cause changes in the cells of your cervix. These changes can eventually lead to cancer.
If there is no HPV present, no further tests are done. If HPV is present, then more tests are done on the sample to check for any abnormalities in the cells of your cervix.
Everyone with a cervix between the ages of 25 – 64 should have regular cervical screening.
The NHS website has a video which explains and demonstrates how cervical screening is performed.
You can also find information on The Eve Appeal website.
Cervical Screening Awareness Week
Cervical Screening Awareness Week takes place every June.
It aims to highlight the importance of regular cervical screening, so that any abnormalities can be detected and treated early.
Many people are reluctant to have cervical screening or do not attend their tests because of fear (not knowing how important it is), embarrassment, shame, being too busy, and lots of other reasons. A quarter of women and people with a cervix do not respond to their screening invitation.
If you have been invited for cervical screening and you are worried or have questions, you can find support via The Eve Appeal website. You can also speak to your GP or nurse before the appointment.
The NHS gives the following advice to people before cervical screening if they are worried before their appointment:
Do:
- Wear something you can leave on during the test, like a skirt or long jumper.
- Bring someone with you for support.
- Try breathing exercises to help you relax – ask the nurse or doctor about these.
- Ask the nurse or doctor to use a smaller speculum if you feel any discomfort.
- Ask if you can put the speculum in yourself if you would prefer to.
- Ask about lying in a different position – such as on your side with your knees pulled up to your chest.
- Bring something to listen to or read during the test.
Do not:
- Feel pressured to keep going – you can ask to stop the test at any time.
- Feel afraid or embarrassed to talk to the nurse or doctor – telling them how you feel will help them understand what kind of support you might need.
Moosa-Duke Solicitors has many years’ experience in representing clients who have experienced a delay in diagnosing cervical cancer. If you believe that you or a loved one has suffered as a result of substandard care from a medical professional, please feel free to call us on 0116 254 7456 for a no obligation discussion.
Why is Cervical Screening Important?
It is estimated that cervical screening saves around 5,000 lives every year.
It is vital that everyone who is invited for cervical screening attends their appointments, so that if the tests find anything abnormal, it can be treated early. Early detection of abnormalities can be treated and can prevent cancer developing.
Gemma Lewis, Partner and Specialist Medical Negligence Solicitor from MDS, said "The importance of cervical screening cannot be overstated. Simply put, it saves lives.
I have worked on some tragic cases where people had attended for their cervical screening, but errors were made which meant that abnormalities were not detected and cervical cancer developed. These cases are rare and should not put anyone off attending for cervical screening. Cervical screening is successful and conducted properly in the overwhelming majority of cases”.
