Screening satisfactory

I write following the recent article ‘Smear test screening still out sourced to US’ and wish to emphasis a number of points.

The national cervical screening programme, CervicalCheck was launched in September 2008. Prior to this national programme, screening was carried out on an ad-hoc basis. Women had lengthy delays in receiving results for almost two decades.

The present, organised and quality-assured population-based screening programme is efficient and over the last four years, nearly 1.3 million smear tests have been processed and more than 805,000 eligible women in Ireland have had at least one smear test through CervicalCheck.

Women are provided with their test results in a timely manner. They no longer have to tolerate long waiting times.

High levels of satisfaction in the service were indicated in a women’s satisfaction survey in spring this year. For the small number of women who need follow-on treatment, colposcopy services have been revolutionised with waiting times for diagnosis and treatment greatly reduced.

Screening policy and implementation is continually reviewed. The introduction in May 2012 of HPV testing, post treatment at colposcopy, is important in the progress of the CervicalCheck programme. In addition, the HPV vaccination has the potential to play an important long-term role in the prevention of cervical cancer through the schools’ vaccination programme.

Over time, a successful national cervical screening programme has the potential to significantly reduce the incidence of, and mortality from, cervical cancer by as much as 80 per cent in the screened population.

Dr Gráinne Flannelly,

Clinical Director,

Cervical Check National Cancer Control Programme

Dublin 1