Women may not know reason for cervical smear

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Two thirds of British women don't realize that having a smear test is to prevent cancer, according to a new survey.
Cervical smear testing has cut the death rate from cervical cancer among women. In Britain, women aged between 25-64 are invited for regular screening. Whether they attend will depend on how important they think the test is to them.

In a new survey, the leading charity Cancer Research UK reveals that many women do not know what cervical screening is for. A group of 1575 women was questioned and one quarter did not associate the smear test with cancer and many of those who knew there was a link had a basic misconception. They thought it was to detect an existing cancer, rather than a pre-cancerous condition. The distinction is important - women may be anxious about going for a test that only detects cancer. What is more, it appears that 50 per cent of women of all ages know about the national cervical cancer screening program, compared with 90 per cent who know about breast screening. Clearly more has to be done to raise awareness of cervical cancer screening among women.

Source
Cancer Research UK 22nd September 2005

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