We launch cervical cancer awareness campaign

Tenovus, Wales' leading cancer charity, has launched a campaign to encourage more young women in Wales to attend cervical screening.

The charity, in partnership with the NHS Cervical Screening Service, will launch its Cervical Cancer Awareness Campaign at Merthyr College on 9 January, followed by visits to Aberystwyth University on 16 January and Wrexham's Glyndwr University on 30 January.

Tenovus' Mobile Cancer Support Unit will be visiting all three venues to offer young women information on cervical screening and cervical cancer, and a cervical screening nurse will be there to give advice on how to lower the risk of cervical cancer.

Cervical screening is proven to be an effective way of lowering the risk of cervical cancer, which is the second most common cancer for young women. But 20% of women do not attend cervical screening.

Tenovus' Health and Wellbeing Development Manager Maura Matthews said:

"The incidence of cervical cancer has fallen since the 1990s after the introduction of effective cervical screening, although this trend has stabilised in recent years.

"The exception to this is for younger women in their twenties, where the incidence has increased markedly in the last five years.

"As Wales' leading cancer charity, Tenovus aims to help reduce cases of cervical cancer and to encourage more young Welsh women to go for a regular smear test."

There are 174 cases of cervical cancer diagnosed every year in Wales, killing around 70 women.