The Cervical Screening Programme provided by the NHS was introduced in the UK in the late 1980s. Since then the cervical cancer incidence rates have decreased considerably, with the rate almost halved from 1988 to 2008. The screening programme prevents up to 3,900 cases of cervical cancer per year in the UK.
(http://www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk/cervical/how-common-cervical-cancer.html)
But there is a continuing petition for the minimum age for the test to be lowered below 25 years of age. I am hoping to inform individuals about why the government has considered this but it has not been put in place.
Even though the screening programme is highly successful there are certain females that do not attend these vital tests. In 2012-2013, 4.24 million women were invited for the cervical screening test and only 3.32 million were actually tested. The screening test is used to find any abnormal cells within the cervix, not all abnormal cells are cancer but these individuals are at a higher risk of developing cancer so precautionary measures can be taken. Abnormal cells usually arise due to persistent exposure to the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which is transmitted sexually. Between the ages of 25-49 you are invited for a cervical screen every three years but between the ages of 50-64 this is lowered to every five years. So why is it that under the age of 25 you’re not offered the cervical screening test?
The first major point is that cervical cancer is extremely rare in women under 25 years of age, with 2.6 cases per 100,000 women. But this is not the initial reason for the age to not be lowered. In 2003 the Advisory Committee on Cervical Cancer Screening advised the programme to raise the age of the screening programme from 20 to 25 due to the programme doing more harm than good. Up until the age of 25 most women have abnormal cells within their cervix as they develop, many of these cells become normal without any treatment or harm to the individual. The main problem with the age been at 20 was the vast numbers of false positive results been given to patients. These positive results are an indication that abnormal cells are present BUT many of these abnormal cells would become normal. At the tender age of 20 these results would be extremely distressing and concerning, meaning the individual would be subject to further testing and procedures. The main concern for the committee was the knock on effect this could have. At the age of 20 and after receiving upsetting results it would be very unlikely that this individual would return for their further screening appointments, putting themselves at risk. And don’t forget, those cells would have returned completely back to normal, meaning there was no need for the individual to be put through a terrible ordeal.
In 2004 it was therefore verified that the cervical screening programme would raise the age to 25 and that is where it has remained. There has been another development within cervical cancer prevention that will save thousands of lives every year within the UK. In 2006, Gardasil was introduced into the UK vaccination programme, more likely known as the HPV vaccine. Girls between the ages of 11 and 14 are vaccinated against HPV to protect them against genital warts and cervical cancer. It is predicted that this vaccine will prevent 7 out of 10 cervical cancer cases if girls receive the vaccine at school, hopefully before they are sexually active. The HPV vaccine is hoped to drastically reduce the incidence rates of cervical cancer, meaning there will be even less of a need to reduce the cervical screening programme minimum age. It is essential for women all over the UK to attend their routine screens as it is proven to save thousands of lives every year.
The Young Scientist 