Thousands snub cancer screening

Published on Monday 31 January 2011 13:30

THOUSANDS of Lothians women are risking cervical cancer by snubbing NHS invites for screening, despite high-profile awareness campaigns, it was revealed today.

Latest figures show more than a fifth have not been tested for the cancer within the past five years, a fall of almost two per cent from last year.

Rates also lie below the Scottish average, leaving health chiefs wondering why Edinburgh women are so reluctant to be checked for what is one of the most common cancers in females.

Another UK-wide cervical cancer awareness week has just concluded, which will be complemented by a specific screening appeal in June, but figures show a large number of Lothians women are still proving hard to convince.

This is despite the so-called "Jade Goody effect" and the very public struggle the reality television star had with the disease, which eventually claimed her life in 2009.

As she was dying, she urged all women to go for screening, as it was that failure to do so which prevented her cancer from being discovered at an earlier, less severe stage.

Females aged between 20 and 24 are the worst offenders for non-attendance, with nearly half refusing the invite. According to the statistics presented to NHS Lothian's board it is not until women hit their mid-30s that they begin to take the message seriously, with rates in the over-40s fairly high.

Health chiefs also said "confusion about the health message in relation to cervical screening" was affecting uptake.

Dr Sue Payne, screening co-ordinator for NHS Lothian, said a number of projects had been launched to target younger women.

In the past the organisation has allowed for "out of hours" and weekend appointments and to help busy professionals.

She said: "We want to encourage as many women as possible to go for their cervical screening test. We've concentrated on working with GP practices, particularly those near universities, to raise awareness of cervical screening and will continue targeting areas with low uptakes to make women aware of the reassurance screening can deliver.

"Many young women will now have received the HPV immunisation which helps protect against the virus which can cause cervical cancer but we are urging these women to also attend their cervical screening appointments. If we can catch a problem early, treatment can be simpler and more successful."

Experts said a figure of around four-fifths attending for screening was comparatively good against other screening averages.