Warning as thousands of women recalled after NHS smear test error – are you affected? | The Sun
THOUSANDS of women are set to be recalled for smear after cervical screening programme error in Scotland.
A review found that up up to 13,000 people who'd had a hysterectomy had been wrongly excluded from the programme and not been invited for a life-saving check.
In a letter to health boards and GP practices, the Scottish government said the risk to people excluded from the screening programme was low.
But it expected those 13,000 patients to require further tests and said they would be invited for smear test appointments over the next year.
In the UK, the NHS sends letter invites for cervix health checks to all women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64. The test identifies any changes in the cervix which could develop into cancer.
The NHS in Scotland said it reviews records of people diagnosed with cervical cancer yearly – a 2021 review found that about 430 women were wrongly not called forward by the NHS to get a smear test.
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This is because those patients only had a sub-total or partial hysterectomy. This meant they still had a cervix and so still needed to be screened for cervical cancer.
A "small number" of them – fewer than five – were diagnosed with cervical cancer even after having a hysterectomy.
An urgent audit followed these revelations, which lead to NHS Scotland identifying 13,000 who were eligible for the lifesaving cancer checks.
Around 95 per cent of hysterectomies performed in Scotland completely remove the patient's womb and cervix, NHS Scotland said – in these cases, they'll no longer need a cervical screening.
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But the remaining 5 per cent with their cervix intact could still be at risk of cervical cancer.
Samantha Dixon, the chief Executive of Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, told the BBC that women should not be alarmed by these new findings.
"This audit is part of a wider piece of work ensuring that everyone eligible for cervical screening is being regularly invited," she said.
" It might sound worrying, but do remember cervical cancer is a rare cancer and risk of developing it remains low."
About 3,200 cases of the disease are diagnosed every year in the UK, according to Cancer Research UK. It's the 14th most common cancer found in women but accounts for just 1 per cent of all new cancer cases found yearly.
It's most common in women aged between 30 and 34 – but about half of those diagnosed with it go on to survive for 10 years or more.
NHS Scotland said new safety measures had been put in place to "make sure that no one is incorrectly excluded from screening, and that an incident like this does not happen again".
Laboratories will now have to double check with doctors that they'd completely removed a patient's cervix during a hysterectomy before excluding them for the screening programme.
NHS Scotland has also launched a further investigation 'as a precaution', which will examine 150,000 records of people who've had other types of hysterectomies.
It expected the investigation would take at least one year to complete.
If you've been excluded from the cervical screening programme in Scotland after a total hysterectomy, the NHS will send you a letter telling you if:
- you were incorrectly removed from cervical screening
- you were correctly removed from cervical screening
- it wasn't possible to tell for certain
Signs and symptoms
Cervical cancer is a cancer that’s found anywhere in the cervix, which is the opening between the vagina and the womb (uterus).
Nearly all cervical cancers are caused by an infection from certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) – but they can often be prevented by attending a cervical screening.
Symptoms include:
- vaginal bleeding that's unusual for you – including during or after sex, between your periods or after the menopause. You might also have heavier periods than usual
- changes to your vaginal discharge
- pain during sex
- pain in your lower back, between your hip bones (pelvis), or in your lower tummy
A new life-extending drug could be offered to people with incurable cervical cancer over the next three years after being greenlit for NHS use.
Meanwhile, UK cervical screening uptake rates have not been what they should be.
In January, the NHS put out a call for women to come forward for a cervical screening, after a third of those eligible – some 4.6million — failed to take up the latest test.
It's important to get checked by a GP if you have any symptoms of cervical cancer, NHS guidance recommends.
You may be used to symptoms like these if you have fibroids or endometriosis, but it's important get checked if they change or get worse.
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There's no need to be embarrassed – whoever is examining you will be used to doing it and talking about these symptoms.
You can also ask for a female doctor to examine you when booking your appointment, or bring someone with your for support.
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