Cervical Cancer Screening Age Remains At 25

In a statement issued by the Health Minister Anne Keen, she announced her decision which endorses the view of experts that the lower age for cervical cancer screening in England & Wales should be kept at 25.

There have been concerns in many quarters including some health care workers that raising the starting age for cervical cancer screening to 25 put women’s lives at risk.

The situation was exacerbated by the recent celebrity patient J Goody (pictured) whose unexpected death at such a young age of 27 instilled fear and apprehension in women. Following her illness and death, enquiries for smears and colposcopy shot up by more than 50% in some cases.

The Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening (ACCA), an independent body of experts, reviewed the evidence and advised Government that indeed there was no evidence to lower cervical cancer screening from 25 years. There is very strong evidence to show that screening in the lower age groups leads to treatments which in most cases are unnecessary and harmful.

Instead, the Government is putting in place an awareness campaign for primary care workers including GPs and practice nurses to be on the lookout for cervical cancer symptoms in young women. Heightened awareness will hopefully identify women who develop cancer outside the screening age for immediate referral to colposcopy clinics. The ACCA was chaired by Prof H Kitchener of Manchester.

By Joe Kabukoba, MD
Consultant Gynecologist