A woman treated for cervical cancer at the Royal United Hospital in Bath is urging others not to delay their cervical screening, describing it as a “lifesaving” test.
Carly is now cancer free, but has regular appointments at the RUH | Photo © RUH
Carly Brown, from Devizes, shared her story during Cervical Cancer Prevention Week 2026 (19th – 25th January), a national campaign highlighting the importance of screening and awareness of symptoms.
Cervical screening, often known as a smear test, checks the health of the cervix and helps prevent cervical cancer.
Everyone with a cervix aged 25 to 64 is routinely invited for screening every five years.
Carly was just 32 when she was diagnosed. She said: “I kept putting off having a cervical screening test.
“I just didn’t want to know and I kept telling myself I was too young to get this type of cancer. Looking back now I can’t believe how naive I was.”
She had noticed changes in her monthly periods, but initially dismissed them.
“I thought it was probably just down to my age and having had kids,” said the mum-of-two.
“It was when I started to have heavy bleeding that I just knew I couldn’t put it off anymore so I contacted my GP and they got me straight in for a screening.
“I’m not sure why I was ever worried about the actual appointment. It’s such a simple test, really quick and it didn’t hurt at all.”
After her GP appointment, Carly was referred to the RUH for further tests and a biopsy.
“I was still in denial at that point, but I remember I did have that feeling of dread about what was to come.
“When I received the call from the RUH with the news that it was cancer I just burst into tears. I just didn’t know what I was going to do.”
She went on to have five weeks of chemotherapy followed by five weeks of radiotherapy.
“Once treatment started I was actually really positive,” she said.
“I decided I was going to do whatever was needed to beat this.
“The treatment was exhausting but it was over within three months. The side effects stay with you for a while though, as does the mental impact, which takes a lot longer to get over.
“I also faced going into medical menopause, which brings its own challenges and complications.
“I can’t fault the RUH at all – the care, support and compassion I was shown was fantastic the whole way through. Being told I was cancer free was amazing, unbelievable. I just can’t describe how wonderful it was to get that news.”
Now 35, Carly still returns to the RUH every three months for check-ups, and her message is clear:
“My message to women is please don’t put off having your cervical screening. It really is such a simple, straightforward test and genuinely could save your life – the earlier something is picked up, the quicker you can get treatment and the better your outcome is likely to be.
“Also, if something doesn’t feel right, make sure you ask for an appointment. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt, it’s that you can’t get time back – make time to attend those appointments and get the ‘I’d rather not knows’ looked at.
“Overall I feel very fortunate that things worked out so well for me. If I’d continued to put off having a screening it could have been very different.
“I hope my experience will show women the importance of going to those appointments and not ignoring symptoms – early detection really could save your life.”
There are 3,300 new cases of cervical cancer each year in the UK. Anyone who has a cervix, including trans men and non-binary people, can speak to their GP, sexual health clinic or transgender health clinic about being routinely invited for screening.
