Thousands of young women in the Bath, Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire area are missing out on important cervical cancer checks, NHS England has warned.
Every day nine women in the UK are diagnosed with cervical cancer and two women will lose their lives to the disease.
Cervical cancer is the most common cancer in women under 35 but is largely preventable thanks to cervical screening and the vaccine against the virus that causes most cervical cancers.
But the number of women aged 25-29 years of age being screened for cervical cancer is the lowest in any age group and numbers attending for screening are falling year on year.
Surveys undertaken by cancer charities indicate embarrassment and a lack of understanding of the causes of cervical cancer may be behind the fall in numbers attending.
Data from the NHS Cervical Cancer screening programme shows that almost a third of women aged between 25-49 living in Bath, Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire are missing out on their vital smear tests.
The number of women dying from cervical cancer has halved over the past 28 years as a result of the NHS screening programme and improvements in treatment, as well as other factors.
Despite this success over 5,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year. Some of these women diagnosed with cervical cancer have delayed coming forward for screening which has impacted on their ability to have early changes treated.
NHS England and Public Health England are supporting Cervical Cancer Prevention Week which runs from 22nd – 28th January. The week aims to raise awareness of the importance of cervical screening and its role in preventing cancer, as well as encouraging women to go for their screening test when invited.
Dr Ardiana Gjini, Screening and Immunisations Lead in Bath & North East Somerset, Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire said: “We have been seeing a fall in attendance of younger women over the past few years and are concerned that women are missing out on this important and highly effective preventative service, for free on the NHS, which significantly reduces the chances of cervical cancer developing.
“The HPV vaccination also prevents cervical cancer but we know that both screening and HPV vaccination are needed.”
“The first cohort of girls who were vaccinated against HPV are becoming eligible for screening as they reach their 25th birthday. Although they are protected against the two most common HPV types that cause about 70% of cervical cancers, the risk is not completely eliminated and screening is still an important part of preventing cancer.
“It’s really important for women to understand the importance of attending for cervical screening when they receive the invitation letter as it can detect pre-cancer abnormalities, which, if left untreated, may develop into cancer.
“Screening is for people without symptoms as a preventative measure. I would particularly stress to those women who might have had missed on screening from their invitation – please contact your GP practice now and make sure you are screened.
“The screening test is relatively simple to have, takes about five minutes and is performed generally by the practice nurse at your GP surgery. 95% of results will be normal and of those that aren’t, the vast majority can be treated very easily and will not develop into cancer.
“I urge women who may have received a letter and for whatever reason have not made that important appointment to make sure they get their screening test, commonly knowns as the smear done – it really is very quick, and it could prevent you needing more invasive treatment later on and could ultimately save your life.”
