Smear tests uptake hits a ten-year low

Published on Thursday 30 October 2008 08:50

THE number of women getting screened for cervical cancer in the Lothians has fallen significantly in the last ten years.

Screening uptake rates have plummeted to around 77 per cent in the Lothians, new figures show, mirroring a worrying national picture.

The trend has flummoxed health chiefs across the country, as the downturn comes at a time when awareness and publicity of the disease has never been higher and screening for breast and other female cancers is on the rise.

Last year slightly more than three-quarters of women aged between 20 and 60 attended for smears, slightly below the national average, and significantly down from the late-1990s.

A number of reasons have been mooted for the drop, such as an increase in ethnic minorities who are more reluctant to come forward and harder to reach.

Other experts have said women moving home more often makes it harder for GPs to keep track of addresses, and people leading increasingly busy lifestyles can mean check-ups take a back seat, while apathy has also been cited.

Cervical cancer kills around 15 people a year in the Lothians, but is very treatable if caught early.

The Scottish Government is working with health boards across Scotland to try to buck the trend. Around 250,000 will be pumped into the cause nationwide.

A Holyrood spokeswoman said: "We are working with NHS boards to investigate the decline reported and develop local initiatives to reverse this trend."

The news coincides with the roll-out of a vaccination programme which will see 14,000 girls aged between 12 and 17 inoculated against the human papilloma virus, which is responsible for around 70 per cent of cervical cancers.

And while the initial results of take-up have been encouraging, bosses are worried that a belief will spread among youngsters that the jag protects them completely against the disease.

Dr Sue Payne, a consultant in public health for NHS Lothian, said: "Cervical screening reduces the risk of cervical cancer developing and we would encourage all women invited for a smear under the programme to attend.

"NHS Lothian is Scotland's busiest board in terms of cervical cancer screening, carrying out nearly one-fifth of all tests conducted in Scotland."