Emmerdale 'preventable illness' warning for millions of women
A women's health charity has issued a reminder to get tested after a heartbreaking soap storyline. Emmerdale has seen teenager Sarah Sugden (played by Katie Hall) given life-changing news following hospital tests.
Her diagnosis of cervical cancer spearheads Emmerdale's most recent emotive storyline, which affects around 3,300 women every year in the UK. Cervical cancer is most commonly diagnosed in women between 30-34 years old, however, it can occur at any age, and the storyline highlights the importance of early detection and symptom awareness. In 2023-24, 5.12 million women in England aged between 25-64 were due a Cervical Cancer Screening, however only 3.25 million women were tested. The Lady Garden Foundation, is on a mission to significantly reduce the number of missed appointments through education, open conversation and research alongside The Royal Marsden Hospital.
Almost half of women are intentionally putting off important cervical screenings despite 83 per cent also saying they believe they prevent cervical cancer, according to independent research commissioned by the foundation. Research conducted by the charity uncovered that embarrassment was the leading factor as to why cervical screenings were being purposely skipped, with more than one in ten claiming they have put it off due to forgetting to wax or shave beforehand.
The NHS cervical screening programme offers testing to women between the ages of 25 and 64. More than five million women are invited for cervical screening each year in England. Approximately 1 in 20 women will have an abnormal screening result meaning high risk HPV is detected in the sample. This does not mean that all women with an abnormal test will develop cervical cancer. Early treatment and increased monitoring can prevent these cervical changes from developing into cancer. Co-founder and Chair of The Lady Garden Foundation Jenny Halpern Prince MBE said: 'The latest storyline in Emmerdale is an authentic portrayal of the journeys many women face each year in the UK and will hopefully spark national conversation, encouraging women to be made aware of the symptoms and the preventative measures to take to protect themselves and their loved ones. "It's vital that mainstream soaps like Emmerdale tackle these real life issues, opening up the dialogue to make people aware of the symptoms and benefits of early detection.
'We set up the Lady Garden Foundation in 2014 to help fund groundbreaking research into the five gynaecological cancers. Over the last 10 years, the foundation has grown as we aim to educate women and girls of all ages to understand the signs of gynae cancers whilst breaking the taboos.' John Butler, Consultant Gynaecological Oncology Surgeon at The Royal Marsden and Medical Director of The Lady Garden Foundation said: 'Cervical cancer is almost entirely preventable due to vaccination in school-age children and regular attendance at the screening programme. It is unlikely that women will develop cervical cancer if they have had their vaccination and regularly attend for cervical screening. If they develop abnormal symptoms such as bleeding after intercourse, bleeding between the periods, pelvic pain, abnormal vaginal discharge or bleeding after menopause, it's important to get checked out as these can indicate there is a problem. "If women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, they will be managed by a group of highly trained professionals who will review the biopsy, arrange appropriate scans and plan the best treatment. The cancer team and specialist nurses are points of contact to help you every step of the way. Please encourage all women to attend for their cervical screening and those between 11 and 25 attend for HPV vaccination. "The good news is that if we can increase vaccination and screening attendance rates cervical cancer could be eradicated in the future.'
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