Women aged 25 to 49 will also now have the opportunity to be screened more frequently as the screening interval will be reduced from five years to three years.
These changes will come into effect by January 2011 and follow a recommendation from the Northern Ireland Regional Advisory Group on Cervical Screening. The change is also in line with the recommendation from the National Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening (ACCS) in England, where screening from age 25 was introduced in 2004.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Services and Public Safety said: “Following the death of Jade Goody in 2009, the ACCS in England undertook a further review of the research evidence and concluded that the age to start screening should remain at 25. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organisation, also recommended that screening should start at 25.
“Cervical cancer is rare in young women and current evidence indicates that screening is not effective in women in this age group because those who develop cervical cancer were as likely to be screened as unscreened. There is also evidence that treatment following screening in this age group can lead to an increased risk of subsequent premature births, increasing the risk of babies dying or having severe disabilities.
“The Department introduced a Human Papillomavirus Vaccination(HPV) Programme to protect young girls in Northern Ireland against future risk of developing cervical cancer. HPV vaccination prevents up to 70% of cervical cancers. From September 2008 girls in the age range from 12 up to 18 have been offered the vaccine as part of a routine and catch-up programme.”
Latest figures for the routine HPV programme in 2009-10 show uptake for Northern Ireland is almost 80%. This high uptake will help reduce the incidence of cervical cancer in young women in Northern Ireland, although it will be some years before this benefit is realised.
The spokesperson continued: “Cervical screening is an important public health programme that saves lives. Whilst the evidence shows that screening for women under the age of 25 is not effective, for those women over 25 it is vital they attend their appointment when invited. It is estimated in a well-screened population, four out of five cervical cancers can be prevented.”
Notes to Editors:
- Following a review of the evidence from the Northern Ireland Regional Advisory Group on Cervical Screening the age at which women have their first cervical screen is to increase to 25 years.
- These changes are to come into effect by January 2011 and follow a recommendation from the Northern Ireland Regional Advisory Group on Cervical Screening who considered the current research and scientific evidence base at an extraordinary meeting on 16th November 2009. Women should receive their first invitation 3-6 months prior to their 25th birthday to facilitate their first screen being completed by age 25.
- Women aged 25 to 49 are to be invited for cervical screening every three years, and women aged 50 to 64 every five years. Women over 64 can be screened if their previous three tests did not give a normal result or if they have never been screened.
- Cervical abnormalities are common in women under 25. Most of them go away over time and do not turn into cancer.
- Those few cervical cancers that do develop in women under 25 are not prevented by screening.
- Cervical screening in women under 25 would find many harmless abnormalities. Yet, if picked-up by screening they would be followed-up and often treated.
- As a result a lot of young women would worry unnecessarily over an abnormal test result and undergo treatment that is not needed.
- Treating cervical abnormalities can lead to premature births in later pregnancies. Screening women under 25 would cause many prematurely born babies due to unnecessary treatment.
- By starting to screen women from age 25 the cervical screening programme reduces anxiety and limits unnecessary harm to young women and their babies.
- Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide.
- In Northern Ireland there has been an average of 80 women who are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year. Over half of these women either have never had a smear test or have not attended regularly for a smear test for five years or more. There are 30-40 deaths per annum from cervical cancer.
- 120,000 women are screened each year in NI for cervical cancer. The coverage rate for the cervical cancer screening programme has been increasing steadily and was 75.4% at March 2009. Five year survival for 1997-2000 is 67.8%
- Media enquiries to the DHSSPS Press Office on 028 9052 0575. For media enquiries out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.
