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Cancer

Answer

In May 2004, the international agency for research on cancer, part of the World Health Organisation, concluded that organised and quality controlled cervical screening can achieve an 80 per cent. reduction in the mortality of cervical cancer. Women aged 25 to 49 should be screened no more than every three years, and women aged 50 to 64 no more than every five years. This is in line with national policy on cervical screening in England.In July 2004, Professor Julian Peto and colleagues published a paper in The Lancet, ‘The cervical cancer epidemic that screening has prevented in the UK’. The paper concluded that cervical screening has prevented an epidemic that would have killed about one in 65 of all British women born since 1950 and culminated in about 6,000 deaths per year in this the United Kingdom. 80 per cent. or more of these deaths, up to 5,000 deaths per year, are likely to be prevented by screening, which means that about 100,000 women will have been saved from premature death by the cervical screening programme by 2030¹.The advisory committee on cervical screening meets twice a year to advise the Government on the development of cervical screening and to monitor its effectiveness and efficiency.In 2004-05 in England, 80.3 per cent. of eligible women had a test result in the last five years². 3.6 million women were screened and laboratories reported four million tests."¹ Peto et al, Lancet 2004; 364: 249-56.""² National Statistics and The Information Centre for health and social care statistical bulletin, cervical screening programme, England: 2004-05."

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

447 c2090-1W; 77235

Session

2005-06

Subjects

Cervical cancer Screening

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk