#SmearTestsSaveLives
Cervical screening prevents 75% of cervical cancers from developing yet one in four women don’t attend. You can help us change this!
We want to increase awareness and make it easier for everyone to take up their smear test invitation.
Cervical Screening & HPV Update
Cervical screening and HPV (human papilomavirus) update
What is cervical screening?
Cervical screening (which used to be called the ‘smear test’) involves taking a small sample of cells from the surface of your cervix. The sample is sent to a laboratory and checked under a microscope to see if there are any abnormal cells. Abnormal cells are not cancer, but they could develop into cancer if they are left untreated. Depending on the result of your test, your sample may be tested for the types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that can cause cervical cancer.
As a next step you may be offered another test (called a colposcopy) to look at your cervix more closely. If the person carrying out the colposcopy finds abnormal cells, they will suggest that you have the cells removed, usually during another
colposcopy. This is how screening can prevent cervical cancer. Here is a link to the new Cervical screening leaflet.