New study says self-test could prevent up to 1,000 cervical cancer cases a year
But offering women an at-home self-test could prevent as many as 1,000 cases of cervical cancer every year, a study led by Queen Mary University of London with King's College London found.
More than 3,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year in the UK. It has been estimated that the number would be 5,000 higher if it weren't for cervical screening.
The number of women participating in cervical screening has been falling, and in 2024, only 66 per cent of those eligible for screening were up to date.
It tests for a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause changes in the cervix and in some cases, can lead to cervical cancer.
'Cervical cancer is the most preventable of cancers. Women born before 1990 will not benefit from the HPV vaccination. But they can reduce their risk by 80 to 90 per cent if they get screened regularly,' Professor Peter Sasieni from Queen Mary University of London explained.
In the study, published in the journal EClinicalMedicine, researchers recruited 13 GP practices in West London to find out the benefits of offering women a take-home test.
These practices were divided into two groups, with about 6,000 women who were overdue for their screening in each group.
One group of GP practices made in-person kit offers to women who were at least six months overdue for their cervical screening, the other group did not. For the first group, when women attended their GP practice for any reason, their doctor or nurse was encouraged to offer them a self-sampling kit.
In the study, people who were 15 months overdue for cervical screening were randomised each month. Half received no special communication, a quarter were mailed a self-sampling kit, and a quarter were sent a letter offering a kit.
Of the 449 women opportunistically offered a kit in a GP appointment, 234 (52 per cent) accepted and returned a sample.
However, the uptake of self-sampling after a postal offer was lower: 12 per cent among those sent a kit, and just 5 per cent for women sent a letter offering a kit.
Researchers estimate that if this approach were adopted across the NHS, 1,000 cases of cervical cancer could be prevented.
Home-testing kits for HPV will soon be offered to people in England who are overdue for cervical cancer screening, giving women and people with a cervix the option to stay up to date with cervical screening without needing an internal examination.
Dr Anita Lim, lead epidemiologist on the study from King's College London, said: 'These findings are directly relevant to current efforts to modernise cervical screening in England. Self-sampling gives women greater control over how and when they get screened.
'This study reinforces that many women welcome the option - particularly when it's offered in person by a trusted healthcare professional. A simple change like this could have a major impact on preventing cervical cancer.'
There are about 100 types of HPV, and only 30 can affect the genital area. Many people never show symptoms as they can arise years after an infection, and the majority of cases go away without treatment.
Vaccinating against HPV is almost 90 per cent effective at preventing cervical cancer in women in their twenties who were offered it at age 12 to 13, according to Cancer Research UK. But the best way to prevent cervical cancer in those not vaccinated when they were young is through screening, reducing the risk by 80 per cent.
Fiona Osgun, head of health information at Cancer Research UK, said: "We know that almost a third of people in the UK tell us they are overdue their appointment - whether that's due to discomfort, embarrassment, or simply struggling for time.
"That's why we welcomed the government's decision last month to roll out cervical home screening kits in England for people who don't take up their invite. This study shows that offering these kits during GP appointments could be part of an effective approach to making screening more accessible and remove barriers.
"It's important to remember that cervical screening is for people without symptoms so, if you notice any unusual changes for you, don't wait for a screening invitation - speak to your doctor."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Stunning pictures capture tonight's incredible moon
Stunning pictures show the incredible Sturgeon Moon lighting up the night sky tonight. Bolton Camera Club member Ian Bleakley snapped these beautiful pictures this evening. The 2025 Sturgeon Moon will be available to see this weekend, and it is the last full moon in summer this year. (Image: Ian Bleakley) It will rise again tomorrow, Sunday, August 10, in the southeast between 8pm and 9pm. he Sky at Night Magazine also says that if you view the Sturgeon Moon from its rise, then you will witness an optical effect called the "Moon Illusion". READ MORE: Planetary parade: When to see the rare event in the UK skies How to see 2025 August Sturgeon Moon in UK this weekend Pictures of the Northern Lights above Bolton It says: "It happens when the Moon is low on the horizon and looks much bigger than normal. "It's likely caused by foreground objects like buildings and trees appearing tiny in comparison to the bright full Moon, thereby making the Moon itself look huge." The Sturgeon Moon is not the only exciting sky event taking place this month. (Image: Ian Bleakley) Next week, the Perseids Meteor Shower peaks, which could see more than 100 per hour, meaning August 12 and 13 are the best times to see it. It has been active since July 17 and will continue until August 24. (Image: Ian Bleakley) Then, later in August, there will be a planetary paradewith six planets visible in the night sky. Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn will be visible to the naked eye, while Uranus and Neptune can be spotted through binoculars or a small telescope. It will take place on the morning of August 18, with the alignment visible for about 45 minutes before sunrise at around 6am, according to The Farmers' Almanac.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Woman Loses Half Her Body Weight Without Ozempic or Surgery. Here's How
A woman who once weighed over 280 pounds gorging on a diet of potato chips and "cheesy" pasta has shed more than half that size. Lisa Bernett, a 44-year-old from Boreham Wood, Hertfordshire, said she used to down bags of Doritos, as well as takeout and other unhealthy options. Since committing to making a change almost two years ago, she is down to 140 pounds from 285 and has dropped from a size 24 dress to size 8. Bernett told SWNS she cut the weight naturally, opting not to use fad diets or weight-loss drugs like Mounjaro or Ozempic. "I would never use the jabs as I do not believe it teaches you about fat loss or educating yourself about food," Bernett said. "It's a good tool to have but if you have no other tools then how will you keep it off? There's no way I would want to stay on injections for the rest of my life in the fear that if I stop I'll gain. I also didn't feel comfortable going down the surgery route." Out with the old, in with the new If Bernett wasn't going to go with a quick fix, she had to make some substantial changes. First up was her diet, which was admittedly a mess. "My diet was poor. I wouldn't ever eat breakfast," Bernett explained. "Lunchtime I'd either eat loads of pasts with cheese, or I'd have lots of bagels with cheese. For a snack I'd have a whole bag of crisps with a dip - I didn't realize a whole bag of and a dip was probably my whole daily allowance for food. "I'd have a takeaway twice a week and big portions of home cooked meals. I always had to finish my plates. Now, I use a calorie app." Now, Bernett says she eschews her former go-to snacks and meals for healthier options like baked potato with grilled chicken and salad, with the goal of hitting specific counts for protein, fiber and calories. You've got to move it Before radically altering her lifestyle, Bernett admitted she lived a very sedentary existence. "My lifestyle before was pretty bad – I didn't move," she said. 'I'd take the kids to school, go to work and then come home and sit on my backside. Walking, going up the stairs, it was hard. "My knees hurt and I got out of breath really quickly. Thankfully, I never had any health issues, but I got chest infections quite a lot." Bernett started off walking 10,000 steps a day and has since boosted that number to 20,000. She also mixes in regular gym, boxing and Muay Thai sessions. Her advice for others To anyone else looking to make a change in their diet and lifestyle, Bernett recommends they "take accountability." 'Not everyone's perfect. Even on the days you find hard, and you want to reach out for something bad, do it, but weigh it and take accountability, then rein it back in the following day," she said. Woman Loses Half Her Body Weight Without Ozempic or Surgery. Here's How first appeared on Men's Journal on Aug 7, 2025
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Robot Crab Meets Terrible Fate When Its True Nature Is Discovered by Real Crab
Scientists apparently underestimated the aggression of itty-bitty male fiddler crabs when they deployed a friendly robot version during mating season. In a paper published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, animal behavior researchers from the UK's University of Exeter detailed the embarrassing end to their experiment with "Wavy Dave," a 3D-printed, Bluetooth-controlled crab-bot trained to wave at its fellow crustaceans. Known for having one claw that's much larger than the other, fiddler crabs not only wave their large pincers to attract mates, but actually hold diminutive competitions during their mating seasons in which females choose those whose claws are biggest — yes, seriously — and wave the fastest. Though scientists already knew that male fiddler crabs will, as lead study author Joe Wilde said in a statement, "adjust their sexual displays if rivals are nearby," less was known about what exactly those males do in response to the rivals themselves. To test it out, Wilde — who is now at the Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland lab — and his Exeter colleagues took Wavy Dave out for a spin during fiddler crab mating season in the mudflats of Portugal's Ria Formosa Natural Park. Initially, the males left Dave alone, possibly because his larger claw was bigger — and therefore more likely to win the attention of females or pose a threat — than their own. At some point, however, "the females realized [the robot] was a bit odd," Wilde said, which led some of the male fiddlers to confront him. Unfortunately, things didn't turn out so well for the little crab robot. "One male broke Wavy Dave by pulling off his claw," the lead author wrote. "We had to abandon that trial and reboot the robot." Despite their creation getting torn to pieces, however, Wilde and his team learned a lot from their short-lived experiment. "If you own a shop and your rivals start selling things really cheaply, you might have to change how you run your business," the researcher explained. "The same might be true for males signaling to attract females — and our study suggests males do indeed respond to competition." As with humans and other animals, the male fiddler crabs who took Dave down have "subtle ways" of adjusting how they act "to compete in a dynamic environment, investing more in [sexual] signaling when it is likely to be most profitable." Like so many drunk bros in bar fights, the male fiddlers only attacked Wavy Dave after assessing the situation and getting feedback from the females — and ultimately, nobody lost except for the robot. More on responses to robots: As Waymo Debuts in Philadelphia, It May Want to Look Into the Time Furious Locals Tore Apart an Adorable Robot Solve the daily Crossword
