Cervical cancer screening invitation
System to be boosted to mirror success of breast cancer treatment
THE REGIONAL health department is extending its cancer screening programme to include cervical as well as breast cancer.
As such, all women in the Valencia region aged between 25 and 65 will receive an invitation to receive the test that enables early detection of cancer of the cervix, while for breast cancer the age group tested is 45-69, explained regional health councillor Ana Barceló.
The screening will start between the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023, with coverage being extended progressively.
Until now, the system to detect cervical cancer has been by taking Pap smears at the request of women or taking advantage of a visit from an obstetrician. Taking these tests is recommended every three years.
This systemised screening, as one of the services included by the national health system and in line with scientific recommendations, will combine two types of testing according to age.
Those aged 25-34 will receive an invitation to visit their health centre to be given a Pap smear, which diagnoses cellular alterations
indicative of cancer.
Women aged 35-65 will receive a self-testing kit to take their own vaginal sample, which will be used to detect the human papillomavirus, in a similar way to the screening for colon cancer.
The tests are different because persistent infection with human papillomavirus is the most frequent cause of cervical cancer in women who are unvaccinated against it.
It is calculated that 80% of sexually active people come into contact with the human papillomavirus in their lifetime, and the majority do not know they are carrying it.
The infection goes away by itself in the first two years in most cases, but persistent infection with highrisk genotypes can cause cancer. Between 18 and 25 years of age, 29% of cases are low risk and between 56 and 65, 7% correspond to high-risk genotypes, which is why the human papillomavirus vaccine is offered to girls aged 12.
Moreover, a study of women in the region found that self-testing would maximise participation in the screening, but options are being considered for those who do not wish to test themselves.
The progressive expansion of the screening coverage will mean that 100% of eligible women will have been invited to participate by 2029, and the objective is to reproduce the benefits of breast cancer screening, introduced 30 years ago.
Every year in the Valencia region, around 259 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed.