Cervical cancer on the rise among women in late 20s

CERVICAL cancer cases are soaring among women in their late 20s, even though the virus behind it has almost been eliminated in younger women, new figures show.

Health experts said poor take-up of smear tests among those aged between 25 and 29 has fuelled a “worrying” 54 per cent rise in cases in the last decade.

They warned that while the death of the television personality Jade Goody in 2009 boosted the numbers of young women seeking screening, that effect has now long worn off.

The generation is the last which is not protected by the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine, which was introduced for teenage girls in 2008.

HPV causes 99 per cent of cervical cancers, with the vast majority of cases linked to two strains. New figures, from a sample of around 600 sexually active women aged between 16 and 18, who were tested in 2018, found no cases of either strain was present. This compares with rates of more than 15 per cent in such groups a decade before.

Ministers hailed the success of the programme, which they said was “world-leading”. But a separate report from Cancer Research UK warns that cases are soaring among those in their late 20s, who grew up before national vaccination was introduced.

More than 3,000 women are being diagnosed each year, including around 400 cases among those aged 25 to 29. Among this group, rates rose from 12 cases per 100,000 women in 2004 to 18.5 cases per 100,000 in 2015-17 – a 54 per cent increase.