Cervical cancer preventable and curable if caught early

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, and Public Health is encouraging anyone invited to come for a screening.

Cervical screening, via a smear test, is a free service that all women and people with a cervix aged 25-64 years are entitled to.

'Cervical cancer is preventable and curable, and we now have the tools to make the disease a thing of the past,' said Strategic Lead for Screening Diane Mathews.

'The cervical screening programme, together with our HPV vaccination programme and treatment, helps us move towards our goal of eliminating cervical cancer in the Bailiwick.'

Approximately 74% of people aged 25-49 years and 81% of people aged 50-64 years attended their screening in Guernsey in 2023 - higher than current rates in the UK.

Mrs Mathews said this was positive news and an improvement on previous years.

Public Health advised that eligible islanders should attend their screenings regularly as human papillomavirus - known as HPV - can lie dormant for many years.

Cervical screening detects HPV - the viral infection which is the main cause of cervical cancer.

Current recommended intervals are every three years for those aged 25-49, and every five years for those aged 50-64.

The HPV immunisation programme was first adopted by Guernsey in 2008 and has greatly reduced cervical cancer in women born since 1995.

Studies have shown that the HPV vaccine reduces the risk of cervical cancer by 90%.

And Mrs Mathews said they were now seeing the first people who had been given the vaccine for smear testing.

'We have anecdotal evidence that those who have had the vaccination don't think they need to have a smear test,' she said.

'But it is still really important to come forward for screening as there are some strains of the virus the vaccine does not prevent.'

Fewer than five women a year in Guernsey are diagnosed with the disease.

The cervix is the lower narrow end of the uterus (womb) that connects the uterus to the vagina.

If HPV is detected the screening sample will then be checked for any changes to the cells in the cervix.

If caught early, these can be treated before they turn into cervical cancer.

• More information about cervical screening can be found at www.gov.gg/screening.