According to the latest annual report for Cervical Screening Wales, 73.2 per cent of women eligible for cervical screening responded to their invitation to be screened last year.
A total of 260,247 women aged 25-64 years were sent an invitation for screening, of which 173,547 attended. In the 12-month report, the latter six months represent the period when human papillomavirus (HPV) testing was implemented as the primary cervical screening test. Wales was the first nation in the UK to adopt the test in October 2018. The new test is reliable and sensitive in identifying the presence of high-risk strains of HPV responsible for 99.8 per cent of cervical cancers.
As of August 2019, 167 cases of cervical cancer were recorded on the Cervical Screening Wales database in the reporting year. Thirty-six per cent of these were diagnosed as a result of referral after an abnormal cervical screening finding.
Louise Dunk, Head of Cervical Screening Wales, said: "HPV testing is a more accurate way of identifying those at greater risk of cervical cancer and it will save lives. We are proud to have led the way in bringing this new and improved cervical screening test to the women of Wales."
