Cervical Screening Could Save Hundreds More Lives

Screening is a must

A study recently conducted andpublished in the British Journal of Cancer throws some light on the fact that many lives of those people suffering from cervical cancer could be saved only if all those who are entitled would opt for a screening. The report found that Just about two thousand lives of women are saved in England each year since these women opt for a cervical cancer screening.

Scientists from Queen Mary University of London mentioned that the largest effect seen by them were from the results of the screening were mostly observed in women who were in the age group of fifty to sixty four. Each year in England approximately at least 800 women lose their lives battling against cervical cancer. In the UK the screening of cervical cancer is offered to women right from the age of 25 up to the age of 64.

Those women who are between the age of 25 and 49 are requested to do the screening every three years, and those who are up to the age of 64 are asked to get the screening done every five years. The screening comprises of a smear test which examines the entrance of the uterus for any traces of cell which could be abnormal. This gives doctors an opportunity to extract the tissue which has a chance to become more malignant or say cancerous.

Eleven thousand records

The team of researchers evaluated the records of women more than eleven thousand in England who were diagnosed with cancer of the cervix. These researchers surprisingly found that three hundred extra lives could be rescued if all those women aged between twenty five and sixty four opted to get a screening done regularly.

They also found that women five times more could possibly die from cancer of the cervix if they chose no screening to be done between fifty to sixty four years of age. The person leading the research was Prof Peter Sasieni. Based at Queen Mary University of London, Prof Sasieni said that it is all thanks to the screening that many women now are alive and have good health.

Every year, already thousands of cancers are prevented and cure with the help of the cervical screening programme and as it may continue to do so, there is still hope for some improvements wherein samples of HPV or the human papilloma virus being tested and checked, looking at many more women who are expected to create an avoidable circumstance to the condition in that specific age group.

Health information manager Dr Claire Knight, at Cancer Research UK suggested that women should go ahead with the offer to get a cervical screening done. It is crucial to keep in mind that cervical screening is helpful for those women without the symptoms.

Women who experience not frequent or persistent bleeding, ache or variation in vaginal discharge even though they have been screened not a long time ago and irrespective of how old they are should definitely get it consulted n checked by their GP.