In 2024, aged just 29, I received a Stage 3 Cervical Cancer diagnosis, completely out of the blue.  Fast forward 9 months, I received a further devastating blow - the treatment hadn’t fully worked - the cancer was still in my lymph nodes and now considered “treatment resistant” and therefore deemed incurable.  I will be on chemotherapy and immunotherapy for the rest of my life. 

Cancer is insidious.  It is often almost impossible to detect until it has progressed. Cervical cancer is actually somewhat of an anomaly to this, because the presence of pre-cancerous cells on the cervix can be detected years before it develops into cervical cancer via what was previously know as a “smear test” (also formally known as a “cytology test”).  

In addition, we now know that testing for high-risk HPV infection (something which is a common pre-curser to cervical cancer) can help to treat abnormal cells even earlier, meaning even less invasive procedures. I don’t know about you but, wow - science and research is absolutely amazing!  How amazing and unbelievable that we have the power and knowledge to fully eradicate a whole type of cancer which primarily affects very young women. All we need now is a foolproof screening system… 

So, if it is so preventable, then how did I end up here?  I diligently attended my screening tests on time, age 25 & 28 - as was policy at the time. My test results confirmed I was “HPV Negative”.  I was told everything was fine and I carried on living my life like normal!  I got married, went travelling, started a new job as a lecturer, and looked forward to hopefully having children soon.  Like most women, I trusted the screening process and thought no more of it, as I felt perfectly healthy. 

 

However I was not fine. The specific strain of HPV that caused my cancer is not routinely tested for in the UK, as it’s not deemed to be a high enough risk.  This HPV strain is also not included in the vaccine which I had age 14, so the vaccine had no effect on it either.

 

Had I been screened under the previous system, using 'smear tests' for abnormal cells, my cancer would have been completely prevented.  At the point of my most recent screening test in 2022, I would have undoubtably had abnormal cells, and more likely had high grade cervical cancer lesions. But because two HPV tests over the course of 3 years said that I was “HPV negative”, no further action was recommended and no checks for abnormal cells were undertaken. To this day I have never had a traditional smear test to actually check for abnormal cells.

 

This loophole is known. It is considered “procedurally correct”.  It is documented. It is not that rare. And it is only going to get more common as HPV strains inevitably evolve, and as timings between testing get stretched and stretched. And yet, the system continues unchanged. This absolutely not about scrapping HPV testing altogether. It’s about ensuring we don’t ignore other important indicators, like abnormal cells, and ensuring that there is a safe time limit between screening visits. 

 

Unfortunately, NHS England has created a screening system which is set up to fail for women like me. NHS England has most recently announced that the screening will be to test for HPV once every 5 years, instead of every 3 years. This is completely unacceptable, and will sadly lead to many, many more diagnoses like mine.  It is completely short sighted.  It devalues the lives of women who call into these known cracks in the system.  It calls into question whether any of us can trust a negative screening test result whatsoever. 

 

We are being told that the new, ever-increasingly stretched testing procedures will be better.  That they will be more accurate, more sensitive, and more protective. But the reality is, for people like me and lots of others, it has moved us backwards with absolutely devastating consequences. 

 

My goal is therefore simple: introduce a fully comprehensive screening program that evaluates both HPV status AND abnormal cell changes, with regular intervals (every 2 years) that allows for timely medical intervention.

Cervical cancer is not just data and numbers; these are real lives affected by the decisions made in our healthcare systems. As women we are constantly told how preventable cervical cancer is, and how we must attend our screening tests and get vaccinated if eligible. But with individual responsibility just also come public accountability - the system must not be set up so to allow known failures and loopholes to the system. It is unacceptable that going for your vaccines and your screening test on time isn’t sufficient action. 

 

Together, please help me to advocate for a change that values every woman's health and prevents all avoidable cases of cervical cancer. Please, sign this petition to urge health policymakers to reinstate cervical smear testing for 'abnormal cells' in addition to HPV screening and to adjust the frequency of these screenings to every two years. 

Your support can lead to transformative changes in women's healthcare and save countless lives.  Please do this for yourself, for your sister, for your daughter and for your friends. 

Thank you for your support.  ❤️🧡💛