New warning over cancer screening
SCOTS women have been urged not to miss cervical screening appointments in a campaign launched following a dip in attendance.
The Scottish Government drive will encourage every woman who is eligible to come forward.
It highlights that two people die from cervical cancer every day in the UK, and offers tips and reassurance around appointments to help overcome concerns such as embarrassment or worry.
Public Health Minister Maree Todd said: ‘A fiveminute smear test could save your life. Even if you expect everything is fine, it’s important not to ignore your invite, as the test can help stop cervical cancer before it starts.
‘The test screens for human papillomavirus (HPV), the main cause of cervical cancer, and helps ensure cell changes are identified and treated earlier. It is understandable some may feel anxious about the test, but information and advice are available to make your appointment easier.’
The number of tests carried out for cervical cancer dropped by 45 per cent last year after the checks were paused during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Public Health Scotland data shows that 174,299 smear tests were completed in 2020-21, down from 318,727 the previous year.
The pandemic resulted in a temporary pause in the cervical screening programme from March to June 2020.
Laura McAdam, 36, from Ayrshire, said a 2014 smear test saved her life when it showed cell changes, which led to check-up appointments every six months.
These continued to show changes and following a colposcopy – a procedure used to look at the cervix – a tissue sample was taken and a week later, in November 2016, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer aged 31.
In January 2017, she underwent a hysterectomy and now attends monitoring scans every six months.
She said: ‘I was diagnosed early thanks to attending a regular smear test. I’m so grateful my cell changes were picked up early enough – it saved my life.
‘I had no symptoms whatsoever before that, so I know first-hand how important it is to attend screenings.’
The Scottish Government earlier said the medical records of almost 200,000 women permanently removed from the cervical screening list would be checked after the death of a woman who was ‘wrongly excluded’ and went on to develop cancer.
Cervical screening is routinely offered to women aged 25-64 in Scotland. Those aged 25-49 are offered checks every three years, and those aged 50-64 every five years.
Figures show women from the most deprived areas are less likely to take part in the screening programme, with uptake only 63 per cent compared with 74 per cent in the least deprived areas.
In August, it emerged health chiefs were contacting 174 women to offer urgent cervical cancer checks after they were wrongfully excluded from routine screening.
It came after hundreds of women were contacted in June over the same blunder.