Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month: making Time to Test

Posted: 22/09/2022

Every year, 220,000 diagnoses of cervical cell changes are made. 22,000 women in the UK each year, meanwhile, will be affected by one of the five gynaecological cancers: womb, ovarian, cervical, vulval and vaginal.

September 2022 is Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month, during which leading charities, including Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust and the Eve Appeal, will be sharing the facts about its signs and symptoms, as well as the experiences of those living with and beyond cancer, and the support available.

It is hoped that by improving knowledge of the signs and symptoms of gynaecological cancers, and removing the potential stigma and misconceptions about who is at risk of developing them, the survival rates in the UK can be improved. When compared to some other cancers, such as breast cancer, these are relatively poor in the UK.

Looking specifically at cervical cancer, there are 3,197 cases each year in the UK, leading to 853 deaths in the same period – and yet 99.8% of cervical cancer cases in the UK are preventable with routine cervical smear testing, reports Cancer Research UK.

Part of the annual campaign sees these charities encouraging employers to become a workplace who gives the ‘Time to Test’. Cervical screening is the best protection against cervical cancer. A reported 10% of people eligible for screenings say they haven’t been able to attend due to work commitments, states Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust. The charity is calling on employers to play their part in raising the profile of cervical screening and cervical cancer in the workplace, and to empower their team to look after their cervical health. 

Lucie Prothero, senior associate in the clinical negligence team at Penningtons Manches, who specialises in delayed diagnoses of cancer cases, said: “We fully support Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month’s campaign to raise awareness of gynaecological cancers and to encourage women, and people with a cervix, and their employers to make time for screening. 

“As with most cancers, the key to greater survival prospects is normally early detection so, by improving women’s understanding of the signs and symptoms of these cancers, it is hoped that they will be quicker to discuss problems with their doctor.

“Sadly, we see the terrible outcome of delayed diagnosis of gynaecological cancers. We receive many enquiries from cancer patients and their families who are concerned that the opportunity for an earlier diagnosis was missed. Often in circumstances where there is a claim for negligence, it has involved patients presenting to clinicians with consistent patterns of symptoms, where appropriate investigations have not occurred or have been inappropriately reported or followed-up.  

“However, it is also true that in many cases, the patient’s symptoms may have been present for several months before concerns have been raised. We have also seen cases where patients have delayed attending for their routine cervical smear tests, which would have identified their cancer at a very early stage, or even still, at a stage where pre-cancerous cells can be destroyed and the development of cancer avoided altogether. Improving gynaecological cancer detection and ensuring earlier diagnoses involves improved patient knowledge and compliance with routine screening, as well as reasonable standards of medical care.”

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