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Original poster

Poll - Smears, HPV, cervical cancer

56 replies

tribpot · 23/06/2006 09:29

Hi all,

I've mentioned a few times a friend of mine who was diagnosed with cervical cancer last year. She finished her treatment a few months ago and so far is doing really well. She's doing a course on Women in Governance at the moment and needs to do a presentation as if it's to a board or committee of community decision makers. Her topic is Educating Young Women on Smear tests and wanted to poll some online communities to get some statistics for the presentation.

Her question is:

Did you ever receive and understand education about the link between smear tests and HPV and cervical cancer?

She's only sharing this information between the other women on her course and the tutor.

There are five possible answers, although she invites comments as well:

  • Yes, and had regular smears
  • Yes, and did not have regular smears
  • No, but I still had regular smears
  • No, and didn't have regular smears but would have done had I known
  • No, and no smears but would not have made any difference anyway

Thanks all

OP posts:
QE · 23/06/2006 13:30

Yes, will enquire at GP. I have recently changed so now would be a good time to check how they do things.

So is 5 yearly the norm if things were ok with the last one. does anyone know for sure?

I am always told that cervical cancer is the slowest to develop into anything untreatable, so maybe 5 years is right?

GDG · 23/06/2006 13:32

QE, I don't know what the norm is but I have one every 3 years and I've never had an abnormal smear at all. So 3 yrs is routine at my practice anyway.

Bugsy2 · 23/06/2006 13:32

Thanks GDG, that was very useful - appreciate your knowledge.

Original poster
tribpot · 23/06/2006 13:34

Mine have always been every 3 years, never had an abnormal result.

My friend was always checked regularly and still had a significant cancer to have removed, a major operation and then radio and chemotherapy. Frankly, there's no way I'd be happy with only being checked every 5 years.

OP posts:
GDG · 23/06/2006 13:35

No problem

No, I'd not be happy with 5 years either tbh.

Highlander · 23/06/2006 14:30

yes, always had regular smears every 3 years.

The nurse at my practice mentioned the link between HPV and Cervical cancer as soon as it was known. I remember her being quite forthright and saying HPV was a sexually transmitted virus and that I should be using condoms until I was in a long-term committed relationship. Advice that I happily took!!!!

At my most second to last smear, our health centre was taking part in a trial looking at following up grade 1 abnormaliities with HPV testing (the idea being that if you were HPV negative then no further action would be taken other than repeat smear after 1 year).

QE · 23/06/2006 14:35

I have just phoned my GP who tells me that if you have never had any problems with a smear result then you would have one every 5 years.

If a result had ever been abnormal then every 3 years would be the norm. She tells me that if I want to have one every 3 years (even though my last GP tells me I don't need one for 5 years) then they would be more than happpy to do so.

Highlander · 23/06/2006 14:35

I don't know if this is appropriate, but we all bloody hate those smear tests. I have to promise myself an enormous treat afterward.

DH came home in tears this week. One of his collegues has been off for the last 3 weeks ( it never registered why, nurses work funny shifts). Turns out within a couple oif days she went from being breathless to being told she was dying from cervical cancer. DH went to see her as soon as he was told and reckons she has a week at the most.

Won't have the speculum fear quite so much in the future I reckon

JoolsToo · 23/06/2006 14:59
  • Yes, and had regular smears

I am on the ARTISTIC study trying to find the link between HPV and cervical cancer. I get annual smears and have had a colcoscopy

Rhubarb · 23/06/2006 15:02

erm, Yes and did not have regular smears would be my answer.

How often do you need to have smears? I don't think enough info is given to women generally and when you move, it's easy to forget about your smear. They should push for more women to have them, an ad campaign or something. It's a horrible thing for most women and I'm sure lots and lots leave it.

Rhubarb · 23/06/2006 15:02

Ah, if I've read the thread I would have answered my own question!

lalaa · 23/06/2006 15:17

no i never received education about the link, but I still had/have regular smears.

i found out myself through bits of reading. nothing ever told to me in an official way.

I have a friend who is a cytologist (person who checks the cells taken from cervix) and her (strong) view is that women should have smears every 3 years.

Hattie05 · 23/06/2006 15:21

I had regular smears, because i was aware they detected cervical cancer - but that was as much as i knew!

I had several abnormal smears - found to have HPV and have had several treatments - including colposcopy's etc.
I now have clear smear test results.

To this day i do not fully understand it or what happened to my body, or what exactly the treatments i had did - despite asking every professional i ever saw for explanation. IMO they didn't know either and gave me a lot of waffle which differed from professional to professional.

My hpv was discovered as a smear test result - so i am confused by reading people talking about having seperate tests for hpv.

I will continue to have regular smear tests despite my lack of understanding!

tamum · 23/06/2006 15:25

Yes, and had regular smears. I have lived in three different areas of the UK since being old enough to have smears and have always had them every 3 years. I had no idea it was 5 years in some areas- that's really bad.

expatinscotland · 23/06/2006 15:28

'Did you ever receive and understand education about the link between smear tests and HPV and cervical cancer? '

Yes. My experience, however, was in the US, at a Planned Parenthood clinic.

I had what is called a loop diathermy here and have had regular smears since then.

I volunteered my biopsy sample to medical research. It was positive for two strains of HPV, both of which predispose a woman to cervical cell abnormalities.

I was also a heavy smoker at the time.

expatinscotland · 23/06/2006 15:36

'I have just phoned my GP who tells me that if you have never had any problems with a smear result then you would have one every 5 years.'

FWIW, smears are recommended annually in the US. I had twelve normal smears before one that came up w/CIN II.

I cringe to imagine what the outcome would be if I'd waited 5 years between exams.

SabineJ · 23/06/2006 15:57

No real information about SMEAR test. Learned what I know now from posters at the surgery ....
I do have regular SMEAR, thanks to the GP reminders, know that they cn detect cervical cancer so they can be dtected earlier.
euh ...What is HPV ?????

expatinscotland · 23/06/2006 16:02

human papilloma virus. this exists in hundreds of different strains, from those which cause cold sores around the mouth, to veruccas to cervical cell abnormalities which may/may not progress to cervical cancer.

almost 100% of the human population will carry a strain of HPV, over half will carry a form of HPV which is sexually transmitted.

some people think HPV means having genital warts. and whilst there are strains which do indeed produced genital warts, it is important to note that these are not the same as those strains which can predispose a woman to cervical cancer.

i do not have genital warts, but i do have two strains of HPV which developed into cervical cell abnormalities.

Tatties · 23/06/2006 16:12

Yes, I knew about the link between smear tests and cervical cancer, but had never heard of HPV, and had regular smears.

Highlander, for your DH colleague, that's terrible.

expatinscotland · 23/06/2006 16:14

HPV infection is responsible for nearly all cases of cervical cancer, excepting maybe about 5%.

expatinscotland · 23/06/2006 16:15

what the smear test aims to do is detect cervical cell abnormalities hopefully long before they can become cancerous - as abnormal cells are largely able to be effectively, cheaply treated.

Not all abnormalities will become cancerous, just as not all moles are dangerous, BUT some have the potential to become cancerous.

Elibean · 23/06/2006 16:28

No, but I still had regular smears.

But then, I'm ancient and started having smears done 25 years ago when they probably didn't know much about HPV...

SecurMummy · 23/06/2006 16:37

Yes and had regular smears

or rather knew about smears and cancer but have no idea what HPV is so I guess the educatoin I have had was not so good!

teabelly · 23/06/2006 16:41

Yes like Tatties, I knew I should have regular smears to detect possible cervical cancer/abnormal cells/and sexually transmitted diseases, but also have never heard the actual phrase 'HPV'. Don't rememeber how long between smears at my surgery, but will phone now and request one anyway!

Can't really remember what was covered in sex ed - very very long time ago

saltire · 23/06/2006 16:59

No, but i still had regualr smears.
I got an abnormal result in 2004, and had a colposcopy and something they kept calling a LLETZ( i think). Then 6months after had another smear, again, it was abnormal, so had all procedures reapeated. Had another 6 months after that which was clear, and have been told by my practice that they recommend i get them done annually for at least 5 years, then go back to 3 yearly.
I honestly canot remember if HPV was mentioned - i don't think it was