Better health guidance for GPs and women with cervical cancer symptoms

Young women with symptoms of cervical cancer should now be getting a better health check from their doctors as new guidance has been given to GPs to help them identify the killer cancer’s symptoms.

The Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening (ACCS) found that women visiting their GP with abnormal bleeding were not being given a full pelvic examination.

National Clinical Director for Cancer Sir Mike Richards said: “We have heard from a number of young women under the age of 25 who developed cervical cancer and they all had symptoms but did not receive a full pelvic examination to check for abnormalities in the cervix.

“To help GPs follow the correct procedure we have produced a pathway which maps the steps they need to take when women aged 20-24 present with post-coital bleeding and bleeding between menstruation.”