Cancer concern as women fail to attend screenings

Doctors who run the region's cervical cancer screening programme are increasingly concerned at falling attendances.

Since the late 1990s, the percentage of North-East women in the target age group of 25 to 64 who come forward when they are called has steadily fallen.

On Teesside alone, health officials estimate that, between April 2002 and March last year, more than 25,000 women failed to attend when called.

The earlier that pre-cancerous cell changes are detected in women, the better the chances of successful treatment.

Experts are so concerned at the situation that officials who run the regional cervical cancer screening service are to hold a meeting next month to discuss what can be done to halt the slide.

What makes the situation even more worrying is the increase in sexually transmitted diseases, which suggests many people are failing to protect themselves during sex.

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the main causes of cervical cancer.

Dr Ken Snider, director of the County Durham and Tees Valley Public Health Network and co-ordinator of the screening programme for Teesside, said if the trend continued, in ten years time cervical cancer would be a big problem.

One concern is that women may have become complacent about the risk of cervical cancer.

But, between 1997 and 2002, a total of 87 women died of cervical cancer on Teesside.

Figures for the Teesside area are expected in the next few weeks. Dr Snider fears that the area may soon drop below the national target of 80 per cent.

In 1997, 87 per cent of women on Teesside who were called attended for a test. Last year the rate was 81 per cent.

In County Durham there has been a similar decline with attendances down to 83.5 per cent in 2002 from a high of 87.1 per cent in 1998.

In Hambleton and Richmondshire 87.7 per cent of women attend screening sessions.

Nationally the figure has dropped from 85.3 in 1998 to 81.6 per cent in 2002.