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Getting checked for cervical cancer

While it’s probably nothing to worry about, you should contact your GP if you have any signs or symptoms of cervical cancer. 

Whatever it is, the earlier it’s found the easier it will be to treat. 

Below, you’ll find information that explains what is likely to happen when you get in touch with your GP. 

Catching it early with cervical screening

In Scotland, anyone aged 25 to 64 with a cervix is invited for a cervical screening (smear) test. It only takes 5 minutes, and it’s the best thing you can do to stop cervical cancer before it starts.

The test checks the cells from your cervix for HPV. HPV causes 99% of cervical cancers but has no symptoms.

Real stories

Liz Clark

I had a really bad cough that wasn’t going away and went to see my GP who prescribed me antibiotics in case it was a chest infection. After the second course didn’t work, I was sent for a chest x-ray.

Hearing I had a suspected tumour in my right lung was like being kicked in the stomach. I had no other symptoms and generally felt well, so when the biopsies were being taken to determine my diagnosis, I was in complete denial that it could be something as serious as cancer.

Surgery was major and it took a while to adjust to the impact that had on my life, including having to retire early. But the cancer hadn’t spread, and as the entire lung was removed, I didn’t need to have any subsequent treatment, allowing me to focus on my recovery.

Receiving a cancer diagnosis and going through surgery was a big thing for me to deal with. But I now feel like I’ve come out the other end of it.

I’ve been given a second chance at life, thanks to my cancer being found when it was.

If you’re worried, my advice would be to get checked. It’s likely to be nothing, but if it is something, there’s more that can be done if it’s found early. I’m no longer even in remission, I’m essentially cured and that is a huge thing.

Liz Clark, 69, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2013 at the age of 57 after visiting her GP about a persistent cough.