New guidance has been produced to help GPs identify symptoms and diagnose young women with cervical cancer early, Health Minister Ann Keen announced.
The guidance was produced after a working group of the Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening (ACCS) was set up to look at the management of young women with gynaecological symptoms.
The working group found that women that visited their GP with abnormal bleeding experienced delay in diagnosis because they did not receive a full pelvic examination.
The guidance provides GPs with an easy to follow algorithm to help in the management of these young women and re-emphasises existing NICE guidelines around gynaecological symptoms.
Health Minister Ann Keen said:
“Over the past year I have met with a number of young women who have had cervical cancer. I have been touched by their stories and have resolved to do everything I can to help prevent and treat cervical cancer in young women.
“The independent Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening (ACCS) told us that screening women under the age of 25 did more harm than good but that more work needs to be done to ensure patients with symptoms are treated correctly.
“That is why this new guidance will support GPs and practice nurses to identify symptoms and refer where necessary to specialist services.”
National Clinical Director for Cancer Sir Mike Richards said:
“We have heard from a number of young women under the age of 25 who developed cervical cancer and they all had symptoms but did not receive a full pelvic examination to check for abnormalities in the cervix.
“To help GPs follow the correct procedure we have produced a pathway which maps the steps they need to take when women aged 20-24 present with post-coital bleeding and bleeding between menstruation.”
Chairman of the RCGP Professor Steve Field said:
“The cervical screening programme is helping us save thousands of lives every year.
“We welcome this new guidance; it is a really positive step that will assist us in making earlier diagnoses for younger women aged 20-24, which will in turn improve the outcomes for those at risk, and ultimately save lives.”
Director of cervical cancer charity Jo’s Trust, Robert Music, said:
“The impact of cervical cancer on a woman’s life and that of her family cannot be overstated.
“Sadly we hear too often of devastated parents losing daughters, of children losing mothers and husbands losing wives.
“And if they survive, they may have to go through invasive and painful treatments and lose their ability to have children.
“We hope this guideline will result in earlier recognition of symptoms, earlier diagnosis and a better outcome for women diagnosed with cervical cancer. “
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