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Cervical screening

Bb8197
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I keep up to date with all smear test, have never missed one as there is a history of it in my family. I’m genuinely concerned that all test only check for HPV, if HPV is not present they no longer check the cells. I am vaccinated against HPV and my sister was diagnosed with cervical cancer 6 years ago with no HPV present. My concerns have been dismissed by my nurse and GP. I don’t have the relevant information to go through genetic screening and I’ve been told that the information I do have wouldn’t be sufficient for the GP to go down that route. I am now coming up to the age my sister was and am not due another smear test for 5 years. The latest one (October) confirmed no HPV present, no need to test the cells.

I’m left with only one option, to pay private for a smear test but do they test the cells or just test for HPV like nhs screening?

It is purely for piece of mind. I would hate for me to routinely attend appointments for my worries to be confirmed in the future. I am fully aware that statically speaking the chances are slim, but with my sister to receive a diagnosis with no HPV and my paternal grandmother pass from cervical & ovarian cancer in the 90s I feel that my concerns are not being listened to. 

  • Hello and thank you for posting. 

    I am sorry to hear about your sister and grandmother and their cancer diagnosis and that you have these concerns about your own future health. I will do my best to answer your questions

    Cervical cancer that is unrelated to HPV (known as HPV-negative cervical cancer) is incredibly rare.  Jo's Trust, the UK's cervical cancer charity states on this page that 0.3% of all cervical cancers are HPV negative. There are no inherited gene faults that we know cause HPV-negative cervical cancer in families, so there is no evidence for genetic testing.

    HPV testing, within the NHS Cervical Screening Programme, started across the UK in 2019. However, there were a number of pilot areas in the UK where it was being tested. 

    When cancer is in the family, people often assume that this greatly increases their risk of developing it, but this isn't always true.  Although the genes we inherit may influence our risk, this might not be by very much. No one is risk-free and the risk of cancer increases for all of us as we get older. This is quite a complicated topic and it might be useful to look at our website which has a section explaining genes and inherited cancer risk at this link.

    We have more information, which I'm sure you have read, about the risks and causes of cervical cancer here and about cervical screening on our website here. 

    I am unable to say what type of testing you would get if you went for cervical screening within the private sector. But if you choose to go the clinic would be able tell you more about what they can offer.

    Do get back to us if you have any more questions or give us a call us on 0808 800 4040. We are here from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

    Take care,

    Sarah. 

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