“I feel like walking proof that screening saves lives” Women whose lives were potentially saved through screening now helping others

Two women whose lives were potentially saved through cervical screening are now helping others attend their screening appointments.

Claire Nanyonga and Hayley Deane, both from Leeds, had cell changes removed from their cervix to prevent cancer from developing after attending their cervical screening.

Both women now work as part of a Cancer Screening and Awareness programme, run by Leeds GP Confederation and funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research, to encourage and support others to attend screening.

There are more than 70,000 eligible women in Leeds who are currently not up to date with their cervical screening.

Hayley said: “I feel like walking proof that screening saves lives. It’s more than 25 years since I was treated for cell changes, and had I not made that appointment to go for my screening I don’t know what the outcome would have been.”

Claire Nanyonga had been putting off her screening for more than a year when she first noticed some unusual symptoms. After attending her screening appointment, she was told there had been a change in her cells.

Claire explained: “The results of my screening showed that I had what are known as ‘Grade 3 Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia (CIN) cells’ and I was invited to the hospital for further tests.

“At the follow-up appointment, the doctor explained what the cells were and that they could be treated before they turned into cancer. I had the cells removed, and six months later I went for another screening which showed that everything was normal. I’m now back to being invited for my screening every three years.”

Cervical screening helps identify women who are at most risk of developing cervical cancer by testing for human papillomavirus (HPV) which causes almost all cases of cervical cancer. If HPV is found, further tests on the same sample are carried out to identify cell changes, and treatment can be offered before the cells develop into cancer.

Everyone who is invited should attend their cervical screening, even if they have no symptoms of cervical cancer, as screening is designed to detect cell changes before cancer, and any unusual symptoms, can develop.

Claire continued: “I now see screening as an absolute priority. In my case, I was lucky that the changes in cells were found and treated before they could develop into cancer, but if I had continued to put my screening off, they may not have been found in time.”

Claire now works as a Cancer Care Coordinator in Armley, helping to encourage other people to attend their screening. The Leeds GP Confederation programme focuses on eight Primary Care Networks (PCNs) in areas of the city with the highest levels of deprivation, where people are less likely to take part in screening.

She said: “When I saw the job opportunity come up, I was sure many women were like me and were putting off their appointment, and I felt like I needed to use my own experience to help others attend their screening.

“I also knew that some people just didn’t know how screening works, or what it is looking for, so I wanted to be able to make that clear for people. Working in areas of Leeds with more deprivation also meant there was an opportunity to learn about additional reasons why people living in some communities may not attend their screening, and find ways to deal with them.”

Research has found several reasons why women don’t respond to their cervical screening invitations, including embarrassment, anxiety around the process and fear that it will hurt, or practical reasons such as difficulty booking an appointment outside of working hours.

The programme aims to tackle some of these barriers by introducing cervical screening appointments outside of traditional GP hours and exploring ways to encourage participation among culturally diverse communities.

Hayley Deane also works as a Cancer Care Coordinator and is dedicated to making sure that women know that the aim of screening is to prevent cancer before it has chance to develop.

Like Claire, Hayley initially put off making her appointment when she was first invited to attend her cervical screening.

She said: “I didn’t go to my first screening appointment because I had a ‘I’ll be fine’ mindset when I was younger. I was told by an elderly relative to make an appointment as ‘prevention is better than cure’, and that gave me the push I needed to go.

“After my appointment, I was told I had cell changes that could develop into cancer if left untreated. I had these cells removed, and then a year later I was found to have more cell changes that would need to be treated.

“It was decided that I would have surgery to remove my womb to make sure that cell changes would not continue to develop. I was 32 at the time, and I’m now 59 and feel very grateful that I chose to attend my screening.”

It is uncommon for women to have surgery as a result of cell changes detected during cervical screening. Surgery is only considered as an option if cell changes come back after being treated, and this only happens in around 10% of people.

Hayley hopes that the work of the programme will help reach more women in the local community and help raise awareness of the importance of screening.

She said: “Women will have their lives saved thanks to programmes like this. The more people who know the benefits of screening and go to their appointments, the more cervical cancers that can be prevented.”

Claire added: “If someone was putting off their screening, I would urge them to call their GP and make their appointment. It could save their life.”

Dr Kathryn Scott, Chief Executive at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said: “We know that screening saves lives. It is vitally important that women get the support they need to feel comfortable booking and attending their cervical screening.

“Yorkshire Cancer Research funds programmes like the Cancer Screening and Awareness programme to understand how we can encourage women in Yorkshire to attend their appointments and find innovative ways to support women who are not up to date with their screening.”