Cervical cancer testing at a 10-year low

Monday, 11 June 2012 5:47 AM

Testing for cervical cancer among women in England has fallen to a 10-year low, a cancer charity has warned. While the "Jade Goody effect" saw more than 400,000 women in England tested for cervical cancer between mid-2008 and mid-2009, figures have now dropped again.

Big Brother star Jade Goody died from the disease in 2009. By the time she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, the disease has spread. But despite cervical screening saving 5,000 lives every year in the UK, 20% of women are not being tested, Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust reports.

"The more we can do to stress the importance of this life-saving test the better," said Robert Music, the trust's director. "With such a worrying decline in numbers our campaign is also targeting key cities where uptake is below the national average."

Adverts urging eligible women to get screened are now being added to buses across London, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow and Manchester, reaching a potential 5.5 million people.

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