Women are being urged to accept NHS cervical screening invites after new figures show three in ten of those eligible for screening do not take up the potentially life-saving offer. The NHS invites women for screening every three to five years depending on their age, or more frequently if the high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) is detected, with the programme saving thousands of lives annually.
The NHS Cervical Screening Programme, England 2022-2023 annual report, published by NHS England, found that 68.7% of 25- to 64-year-olds had attended screening within the recommended period of time, compared to 69.9% the previous year. The proportion was higher for 50- to 64-year-olds at 74.4%, compared to 65.8% for 25- to 49-year-olds.
In 2022-23, everyone who was due a test – a total of 4.62 million individuals aged 25 to 64 in England – was invited to book an appointment, and 3.43 million attended screening during the year.
Screening helps prevent cervical cancer by using a highly effective test to check for HPV, which is found in over 99% of all cervical cancers and which may cause abnormal cells to develop in the cervix. These abnormal cells can, over time, turn into cancer if left untreated.
The NHS has pledged to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040, by making it as easy as possible for people to get the lifesaving HPV vaccination and increasing cervical screening uptake.
Steve Russell, Chief Delivery Officer and National Director for Vaccinations and Screening for NHS England, said: “We know that it’s possible for the NHS to eliminate cervical cancer within the next two decades, but it relies on millions of people continuing to come forward for screening and vaccinations every year. The NHS is doing everything we can to achieve our ambition by making it as easy as possible to make appointments, with the latest figures showing the NHS arranged cervical screening for over 3.4 million women last year.”
The World Health Organisation considers cervical cancer to be eliminated as a public health problem when there is an incidence rate lower than four per 100,000 women. The HPV vaccine prevents invasive strains of the virus, known to cause almost all cervical cancers, as well as some mouth and throat cancers. It is given to both girls and boys in secondary school to protect them against catching the HPV infection and developing into pre-cancerous and cancer cells.