Cervical screening & HPV vaccination in Canterbury

More information relating to cervical screening and HPV vaccination in Canterbury

During Cervical Screening Awareness Month, the Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) is encouraging women aged 20-70 years old who are due for a cervical smear to have one.

Regular cervical screening is recommended every three years for women who have ever been sexually active from the age of 20 until they turn 70. It is recommended women who have had their first smear or who have a smear after a five year lapse have a repeat smear a year later, with three-yearly smears after that.

Every year in New Zealand 160 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 60 women die from the disease.

However, cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers and usually develops very slowly.

The main cause of cervical cancer is Human Papilloma Virus (HPV - the most common sexually transmitted infection. Certain types of HPV can cause abnormal cell changes. Although most HPV infections clear by themselves, ones that persist can lead to the development of precancerous abnormalities. If left untreated, these can eventually progress to cervical cancer.

There is currently no cure for HPV infection although a free vaccine which helps to protect against the virus is now available to all girls aged 12-18 in Canterbury from General Practices.

CDHB gynaecological oncologist Bryony Simcock said having regular cervical smears was important because abnormal cell changes did not cause any symptoms and were picked up only when women have a cervical smear test.

Symptoms only appear when abnormal cells become cancer, although there are often none during the early stages of cervical cancer. The most common symptom experienced is abnormal vaginal bleeding which may occur between periods, following sexual intercourse or after menopause.

The CDHB’s Canterbury Health Laboratories (CHL) have recently introduced new technology that is expected to improve the detection of cervical cancer. CHL this month introduced a new automated way of analysing cervical smear slides, called the FocalPoint GS Imaging System. CHL is the first laboratory in the country to introduce the automated system, which is also one of only nine to be used in laboratories outside the United States.

The automated system works by identifying abnormal cells through computer analysis and then guides the human screener at the microscope to the location of the abnormal cells present on the slide.

Overseas research shows that the automated system significantly increases the detection of cervical abnormalities. It is also expected to reduce the amount of time taken to analyse cervical smear slides, which will in turn ensure women receive their results more quickly.

For more information about cervical screening, see www.nsu.govt.nz

ENDS

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