Nearly five million women have missed their latest smear test.
At the end of December last year, a third of women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 49 (32.9 per cent) and a quarter of those aged 50 to 64 (25.5 per cent) were not up to date with their cervical screening.
This week is Cervical Screening Awareness Week (June 20 to 26), and charities are encouraging those eligible to get their tests booked.
Screening coverage for those aged 25 to 49, who should be tested every three years, was 67.1 per cent across England at the end of December 2021. That means of those eligible to be screened, 3.5 million in this age group across England were not up to date with the vital health check at the end of last year.
Meanwhile, those aged 50 to 64 should be tested every five years. Across England, 74.5 per cent of those in this age group were up to date with screening at the end of December, leaving 1,359,585 unchecked.
Parts of London have the lowest take up of tests, with three in five of those eligible in the City of London not up to date with screening:
- City of London - 39.8 per cent
- Kensington and Chelsea - 41.7 per cent
- Westminster - 42.9 per cent
- Camden - 45.8 per cent
- Tower Hamlets - 49.5 per cent
- Hammersmith and Fulham - 50 per cent
- Islington - 52 per cent
- Kensington and Chelsea - 53.1 per cent
- Brent - 53.1 per cent
- Luton - 55.5 per cent
Samantha Dixon, Chief Executive, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, said: “Cervical screening is vitally important – it can help to stop cancer before it starts, saving lives. Yet in some parts of the country, as few as one in two women and people with a cervix don’t attend cervical screening when invited.
“This can be for a number of reasons. Some aren’t able to find an appointment that fits around work commitments, while some feel anxious or embarrassed. Others may have experienced sexual violence, or are living with endometriosis, menopause or vaginismus.
“This #CervicalScreeningAwarenessWeek, we’re talking about the importance of attending your cervical screening – and a huge part of this is helping everyone to feel supported and included in the process.”
Across England, just 67.9 per cent of those aged 25 to 49 invited to screening had had a test in the previous three years as of March last year. That was the lowest level since records began in 2002.
Rates had improved slightly in March 2020, when 70.2 per cent of those in this age group had been tested. However, generally the proportion going to their screening has been falling since a high of 74.0 per cent in March 2010 - a peak most likely due to the Jade Goody effect, following publicity around the reality star’s illness and death from cervical cancer in March 2009.
Among those aged 50 to 64, 72.1 per cent had been tested in the previous five years as of March 2021, down from 74.6 per cent in 2020 and 74.8 per cent in 2019. It was the lowest rate in 20 years.
Invitations for cervical screening were suspended in April 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and resumed from June 2020. While those with symptoms or previous history were still seen, checks were put on hold for those who were lower risk.
Cervical screening checks a sample of cells from the cervix for certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV). These types of HPV can cause abnormal changes to the cells, which can go on to cause cancer, and are called "high risk" types of HPV.
If these types of HPV are found during screening (an HPV positive result), the sample of cells is then checked for abnormal changes. If abnormal cells are not treated, they may turn into cervical cancer.
