Smear tests aren’t just a good idea for your sexual health and wellness; they might protect your wellbeing against cancer. This is according to a new study from Cancer Research UK, which has found that women over 50 who fail to have smear tests have a higher chance of developing the disease.
Wellness expert Denis Campbell notes, ‘Women over 50 are being urged to have regular smear tests after research showed that those who do not attend screenings are six times more likely to develop cervical cancer than those whose tests have been normal. A study from Cancer Research UK scientists found women who fail to have smear tests over 50 have a much higher chance of developing the disease compared with other women the same age who have a history of normal screening results. Researchers also found that women with a screening history and normal screening results between the ages of 50 and 64 have a lower risk of cervical cancer at least into their 80s.’
But how did the investigators come to this finding? Campbell details, ‘Researchers examined data taken from 1,341 women aged 65 to 83 who were diagnosed with cervical cancer between 2007 and 2012, and compared them to 2,646 women without the disease. Among those women who skipped smear tests between the ages of 50 and 64, 49 cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed per 10,000 women at the ages of 65 to 83. This compared with just eight cases per 10,000 women among those with an adequate screening history and normal results. Women who had been screened regularly but had an abnormal result between the ages of 50 and 64 had the highest risk of all – 86 cervical cancer cases per 10,000 women at age 65 to 83.’
If you’re a woman aged 25 to 49 living in England or Northern Ireland, you are offered screening every three years. If you’re aged between 50 and 64, you are able to have screenings every five years. No matter what your age, however, you can control your risk of cervical cancer through regular screening, says Professor Julietta Patnick, director of the NHS Cancer Screening Programmes. ‘Any abnormalities that might be found can then be treated in order that they do not go on to develop into cancer,’ she explains. ‘Where a cervical cancer is found through screening, it is usually at a very early stage where treatment has a greater chance of success. It is essential that women are aware of this when deciding whether or not to be screened.’
Sarah Williams, Cancer Research UK’s health information officer, also points out that cervical screening has saved thousands of lives. She notes, ‘This study highlights how important it is to keep an eye on women who’ve had abnormal cells in their cervix. In the UK, these women have follow-up screening tests and tests for the HPV infections that cause cervical cancer, to reduce the risk of the abnormal cells coming back.’ However, this is not the only study that has recently found certain women to be at a higher risk of cervical cancer.
According to a paper on the British Medical Journal’s website, ‘Women previously treated for CIN3 are at increased risk of developing and dying from cervical or vaginal cancer, compared with the general female population. Women previously diagnosed with, and treated for, CIN3 were at substantially increased risk of developing cervical or vaginal cancer when they reached 60. The risk accelerated with further ageing.’ Robert Music, chief executive of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, added that this study highlighted a need to look at the follow-up treatment of women with CIN3.