This Cervical Screening Awareness Week (19-24 June) grandmother Tina Tunnicliffe from Atherstone in Warwickshire is urging women to attend their screening appointments and not to put them off.

In August 2023 Tina was diagnosed with stage 3c cervical cancer and underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatments.

“I have always tried to attend all screening appointments and had my last one in 2017,” said Tina.

“I had a year of intermittent bleeding in 2022/23 and my daughter advised me to go to my GP. Once there everything happened really quickly – a biopsy within a week and then my diagnosis,” she added.

Cancer Research UK says there are around 3,300 new cases of cervical cancer each year, but uptake of free cervical screening is reducing, with fewer women coming forward for their appointments.

Figures from June 2024 show that just over 70% of women aged 25-64 in the West Midlands invited for screening took up the offer of an appointment down from 71% in 2023.

A cervix is a muscle and is the opening to the womb or uterus from the vagina. It allows sperm to pass through to fertilise eggs and by closing it protects a baby in the womb from infection during pregnancy.

Julia Grace, deputy director of vaccinations and screening for NHS England in the Midlands said: “More than 99% of cervical cancer cases are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. Cervical screening is a sensitive and highly accurate test for high-risk HPV which identifies those who are at a higher risk of developing cell changes that could lead to cervical cancer.

“Cancer Research UK says that 99.8% of cervical cancer cases are preventable – through increased uptake of the HPV vaccination among secondary school age boys and girls as well as cervical screening and NHS England aims to eliminate all cervical cancer within two decades,” added Julia.

Cervical cancer survival has increased in the last 50 years in the UK with 63% of women diagnosed surviving the disease beyond 10 years (source Cancer Research UK).

But Tina doesn’t want anyone to go through the treatment for cervical cancer if they don’t need to.

“I should have gone for screening in 2022 and I should have gone to the GP earlier. Cancer treatments are harsh by necessity, and I could possibly have avoided much of this if I had acted earlier.

“As it is I feel well and have the time and energy to continue being a mum to my two children and a grandmother to my grandchildren. I consider myself lucky,” said Tina.

Background

All women aged 24 to 64 are routinely invited to cervical screening to check the health of their cervix.

If anyone finds screening uncomfortable, they should talk to the sample taker who can support making it less uncomfortable.

The HPV test has been used since December 2019. It is more sensitive and accurate than the previous tests (often known as smear tests) and from 01 July 2025, women aged 25-49 will be invited to screening every five years rather than every three years IF they test negative for HPV and have no recent history of HPV.

Women aged 50-64 are already invited every five years.