The best way to reduce the risk of developing cervical cancer is to have regular cervical smear tests every three years.  Women who have been immunised must also continue to have regular cervical smear tests because they will not be protected against all HPV types that cause cervical cancer.

In New Zealand, approximately 160 women develop cancer of the cervix each year, and about 60 women die from it.  Some groups of women have higher rates of cervical cancer.  These groups include:

• women over 40
• Māori women
• Pacific women
• Asian women
• unscreened women
• under-screened women.

In countries where there are organised screening programmes, the largest group of women who are diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer or who die from it are those who have never had a cervical smear test.

 

Without screening*	With regular three-yearly screening*
1 in 90 women will develop cervical cancer	1 in 570 women will develop cervical cancer
1 in 200 women will die of cervical cancer	1 in 1280 women will die of cervical cancer

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Estimated New Zealand figures

 

Put another way, if a group of 1000 women do not have regular smear tests, 11 women will get cervical cancer before their 75th birthday, and about five will die from it.  If each of the women in the same group of 1000 has regular three-yearly smear tests, about two women will get cervical cancer before their 75th birthday, and one will die from it.

 

How accurate are cervical smear tests?

There is a small chance that some abnormal cells will be missed during sampling or slide reading (called a false negative).  Abnormal changes to cervical cells progress very slowly.  It is likely that any abnormal cells missed at one regular check will be picked up at the next.

There is also a small chance that a result will say that abnormal cells have been found when the cervix is quite normal (a false positive).  If the result from further testing shows that there are no abnormal cells, no treatment will be needed.

A cervical smear has a false negative rate of about 20 percent for high-grade lesions.  The test is not reliable in the presence of clinical symptoms.

 

Other benefits of being enrolled in the programme include:

• Your screening history will be fully recorded in a secure electronic database, the NCSP Register.
• This information helps smear takers and laboratories to decide when the next smear is due or if follow-up is required.
• You will receive a letter with the result of your first cervical smear taken within the Programme.
• You will receive a reminder if you are a few months overdue for your smear test.
• If you have a smear test result that is abnormal, you will receive a letter from the Programme.
• If you have a smear test result that is abnormal, the NCSP Register provides a back-up system to check that you received the appropriate follow-up investigation and/or treatment.
• You will receive a letter informing you when you no longer need to have cervical smears.
• Your enrolment in the Programme will help make it a success for all New Zealand women.  A high number of women must take part to enable it to work well and achieve its aims.
  

 

See your doctor if you have:

• bleeding or spotting between menstrual periods
• bleeding or spotting after sexual intercourse
• bleeding or spotting after menstrual periods have stopped (after menopause)
• unusual discharge from your vagina
• persistent pain in your pelvis
• pain during sexual intercourse.
  

These symptoms can happen for several reasons and rarely mean that you have cervical cancer.  However, they should be checked out.