Smear tests

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE

HPV is an extremely common virus transmitted through sexual contact, which 80% of people will come into contact with at some point. Many strains are harmless and don’t cause problems - but some strains are considered high-risk and 99.7% of all cervical cancer cases are believed to be caused by these, so tackling HPV is an important step in the fight against the disease.

Smear tests, meanwhile, are not designed to detect cancer but to pick up HPV and early signs of cell changes, which could in some cases develop into cancer. This means women and people with a cervix can be monitored and, if needed, given treatment as a preventative measure.

WHAT DOES AN ABNORMAL SMEAR RESULT MEAN?

Saving lives might be the ultimate goal

- but there’s a lot more to the picture, including people’s wellbeing as patients. Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust is keen to highlight the importance of reducing HPV stigma, and talking more about what it means to get an abnormal result and go for further tests (such as a colposcopy) or treatment (such as LLETZ, where a thin wire loop is used to remove the area of the cervix with abnormal cell changes).

Around 220,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cell changes every year. However, according to a new survey by the charity, over a quarter

(26%) say they felt ashamed, with 34% saying they felt anxious, and 21% saying they felt isolated and didn’t want to tell other people. More than half (51%) said they knew nothing about what this meant before receiving their results.

When it comes to treatment, many felt uninformed and unprepared, with 42% saying they didn’t feel they had enough time to consider their options, and 28% experiencing side-effects they either didn’t expect or which were more severe than expected.

ARE YOU OVERDUE A SMEAR TEST?

There has also been a “significant drop” in people staying up to date with their smears due to the pandemic, and uptake is at the lowest it’s been in decades.

ACCESS IS KEY

There’s also been greater emphasis on addressing the barriers that may affect some people. This includes practical things, like the times and locations where screenings are offered, and recognising where a bit more understanding might be needed.