Cervical Screening

Described her personal experience with cervical screening and abnormal cell diagnosis, emphasizing the importance of screenings in preventing cervical cancer. Highlighted the need for better education on HPV and the emotional impact of cervical screenings. The hon. Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West talked about some of the challenges faced by the lesbian and bisexual community in accessing appointments, but we also need to recognise some of the challenges faced by our trans community, especially trans men, who are not sent reminder letters because of administrative policies at GP services.

He thanked the MP for Gower for securing the debate and highlighted the petition's impact. He mentioned the legacy of Fiona Mathewson, who tragically died from cervical cancer in 2021, inspiring the campaign against the disease. Norris addressed issues like health equity, mental impacts of screening during the pandemic, and the importance of effective communication as discussed by other MPs. He noted that every year around 3,200 people get cervical cancer, and Cancer Research UK estimates that 857 died in 2018. Mortality rates have dropped from 10 per 100,000 women to approximately 2.5 since the 1970s. He emphasized the importance of screening for early diagnosis and saving lives.

Jim Shannon emphasised the importance of cervical cancer screening, noting that early detection and treatment can prevent seven to ten types of cervical cancer. He highlighted that current legislation invites women between 25-49 for screening every three years and those aged 50-64 every five years, but he advocated for yearly screenings to improve diagnosis and reduce anxiety among patients. Shannon cited statistics from Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust indicating that 51% of women delay their screening, with 24% delaying over a year and 9% never attending at all. I referred to my wife's difficulty in making an appointment. She talked to her mother for support and advice before going to the hospital, highlighting that women talking to women is much easier than other options.

Mr Lamont highlighted the high number of signatures from his constituency in support of the petition for improved cervical cancer screening. He emphasized that around 850 women die annually from cervical cancer in the UK, yet this is one of the most preventable cancers due to early detection through screening and HPV vaccination. However, he noted that Scotland offers screenings less frequently than other parts of the UK. Mr Lamont also addressed a recent case where some women developed cervical cancer after being wrongly excluded from the screening programme following a hysterectomy, expressing concern over the Scottish Government's delayed response in revealing these errors to the public.

Cervical screening is the best method of protection against cervical cancer but one in four women across the UK did not accept their invitation for screening. A more viable option would be to roll out widespread HPV self-sampling, which could greatly increase uptake with 47% preferring it over clinician-led screening.

Mr. Mike Kane raised concerns about the impact of the pandemic on cervical screening, highlighting that no clinical commissioning groups in England achieved 80% coverage for women invited for tests in Q3 2021. He mentioned an estimated 600,000 missed screening opportunities between April and May 2021. Mr. Kane also discussed demographic factors influencing take-up rates and proposed the adoption of new innovative screening technologies such as HPV mRNA testing to reduce unnecessary colposcopies and improve patient outcomes.

She expressed sympathy for Fiona's family and emphasized the importance of early cervical cancer detection through HPV vaccination and screening. Philippa highlighted the Scottish success in reducing high-risk HPV infections from 30% to 4.5% among vaccinated women, leading to an 89% fall in CIN 3 cases. She advocated for wider adoption of two-step testing (HPV then cytology) and self-administered vaginal swabs to increase screening uptake, especially among underrepresented groups.

The petition on Fiona's law received more than 146,000 signatures. Research shows that around 600,000 cervical cancer tests failed to go ahead in the UK during April and May 2020 due to the pandemic, decreasing screening for women aged 25-64 by nearly 7%. The Government must do more to create public awareness about cervical cancer screenings and address cultural barriers preventing minority ethnic women from accessing testing appointments.