ROUTINE TEST SAVED MY LIFE... AND IT ONLY TOOK A FEW MINUTES

CERVICAL cancer rates among young women have risen sharply in the past decade, figures reveal today.

Numbers have increased by half among women aged 25 to 29 in the past 10 years, with too few attending screening, it was said.

The overall rate actually halved in Britain between the late 1980s and mid-2000s, thanks to improvements in early diagnosis and prevention.

But young women are now both the most likely to be diagnosed with cancer and least likely to accept invitations for healthy and hadn’t experienced any symptoms, so to be told I had cervical cancer took me by surprise.”

The cancer was discovered early and charity worker Gem had surgery a month later. Since getting the all-clear in 2015 she has had regular

NHS screening, according to analysis by Cancer Research UK.

There were 12 cases of cervical cancer per 100,000 women aged 25 to 29 in 2004/06, rising to 18.5 cases per 100,000 in 2015/17 – a 54 per cent jump.

Cancer Research chief executive Michelle Mitchell said: “These figures show how research has protected thousands of people in the UK from cervical cancer, but they also highlight a worrying trend that shows tests to check it has not returned. Gem, from Tooting, south London, added: “I want to highlight the need for early detection in all cancers, especially cervical, as tests are so readily available. It takes minutes and it can save lives.” progress is stalling, which undermine this success.

“Cervical cancer is one of the few cancers that can be prevented through screening.

“The disease is now common in the UK.”

Figures published by Public Health England show that just 70 per cent of women aged 25 to 49 were adequately screened in the past three years, below the 80 per cent mark regarded as acceptable by the NHS.

Professor Peter Johnson, NHS clinical director for cancer, said the HPV viral infection jab and early screening tests could soon make cervical cancer “a thing of the past”.

He added: “It is vital that people go for their screening test, even if they are completely well. It could be a life-saver.”

Robert Music, of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, said: “While we know we can eliminate cervical cancer one day, we have a long way to go.” could far less

GEM Sofianos, 32, says screening saved her life by catching her cervical cancer at a very early stage. She was diagnosed five years ago after a routine smear test discovered abnormal cells in her cervix. Gem said: “I was young and