Sponsored by
A few minutes can save lives
THOUSANDS of women in Hartlepool are missing out on vital checks that could save their lives.
Health bosses are now urging them to come forward and be screened for cervical and breast cancer as part of an awareness campaign to emphasise the importance of regular screening.
After TV personality Jade Goody died from cervical cancer last year, there was a brief rise in the number of women going for tests, but it proved short-lived and the number of women ignoring reminders has increased again.
Young women aged 25 and over receive a cervical screening invitation every three years and the test is quick and painless, but figures have shown that one-in-four women do not take up the invitation to be screened.
Primary care trust bosses say young women are the worst for avoiding the test with about a third of 25 to 49-year-olds in the town not making appointments.
A number of local surgeries now offer evening appointments for women who are unable to attend normal surgery hours and this has already proved to be popular with patients.
The importance of screening was emphasised by one patient who put off being tested for 15 years.
When the 37-year-old, who has asked not to be named, finally attended for screening, the results showed abnormalities.
She was diagnosed with cervical cancer and as a result is now unable to have children of her own.
In January 2009 she underwent a biopsy, taking cells from the lining of her cervix for further testing.
These tests confirmed she had cervical cancer and her only option was to have a hysterectomy.
Figures show women are not attending breast cancer screening, despite the fact that the test is detecting about 60 per cent more cancers than 10 years ago.
Madeleine Johnson, public health specialist for NHS Hartlepool, said: "Taking part in the screening programme is the best protection against developing cervical cancer.
"The screening test can detect small changes long before they develop into cancer and there are simple treatments to deal with these.
"A cervical screening test takes only a few minutes of your time and could save your life.
"Breast cancer is a common disease, but there are excellent treatments now available, particularly if it is detected early.
"The National Breast Screening Programme has been saving women's lives for more than 20 years.
"A mammogram is a simple test that only takes a few minutes and could save your life."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Hartlepool
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Light sleet
Temperature: 0 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: -3 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South
