The Irish Times – Monday, January 24, 2011

CERVICAL CANCER is one of the leading causes of early mortality among Irish women under 44, with more than 90 lives lost every year.

It is a cancer that takes a long time to develop and often has no symptoms until it is at an advanced stage. Regular screening can therefore save lives by detecting abnormalities early on.

This was the main message delivered at the launch of European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week in Dublin yesterday. during the coming week, women will be urged to avail of free screening from a registered GP or family planning clinic of their choice.

The campaign is being promoted by the Irish Family planning Association (IFPA) with the support of broadcaster Maura Derrane; CervicalCheck, the national cervical screening programme, and the Irish Hairdresser Federation.

Launching the awareness campaign, IFPA medical director Dr Caitríona Henchion said: “Cervical cancer is unique because we know how to prevent it. Now that Ireland has a free cervical screening programme in place and a school-based vaccination programme, we are in a position to almost eliminate cervical cancer in a generation.

“With access to these prevention strategies, the vast majority of girls growing up today can look forward to a cervical cancer-free future.”