Screening saves lives

I wanted to write something today about Jade Goody, the terminally ill reality TV star who married partner Jack Tweed yesterday. Jade has been given weeks to live, after being diagnosed with cervical cancer last year.

I think for various reasons, this story has had a massive impact on a lot of people. For me personally I think it raises very important issues about cervical cancer screening in young women. Jade is only three years older than me and is dying from the disease. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women under 35. Yet, Government regulations in England mean young women are only routinely screened from the age of 25 (it's lower in Scotland). Apparently doctors have been talking about the 'Jade effect' which has resulted in something like 20% more women making enquiries to their GPs about smear tests and cervical cancer. And some cynical commentators have translated this as a sort of 'cancer phobia' sweeping the nation, partly as result of possible media scaremongering. We saw something similar when Kylie was diagnosed with breast cancer four years ago.

I agree there is no point in worrying for worries sake, but I see the decision of these two celebrities to make their battle public as a very positive thing. Young women are, I think, overly complacent of the risk of cervical cancer to their health. Women's magazines are full of cases of women diagnosed with the disease at under 25. When caught early there is much that can be done. But if people don't have the test in the first place...the risk are high. I understand the Government's Department of Health are currently considering the merits of lowering the screening age and I hope that we might see pilot schemes for younger screening rolled out in the near future.

I was really quite horrified to hear of an experience a friend of mine had at a family planning clinic last week (out of discretion I won't say which one). When she made enquiries about whether she would need a smear test (she is 24), the nurse said something like 'oh you don't need to worry about that unless you've had an STI.' Now I assume she is referring to the HPV virus which is implicated in a large majority of cervical cancer cases. But given that you won't necessarily know if you have HPV, as it often presents with no symptoms, and that up to 80% of people in the UK are infected with HPV at some point in their lives, I see this as hugely irresponsible. HPV is not prevented by condom use and most people don't know they have it. My friend commented that the nurse was commenting on Jade's lifestyle prior to her diagnose, the implication being that she had slept around and this had resulted in her developing cancer. This is just completely unacceptable, especially coming from a sexual health nurse, and I am very concerned that if this transpires to be a common approach then many young women may feel they don't need to be screened - a decision which could be potentially life threatening.

Picture copyright of Keira76