Behind the screen

overview

The take up of invitations for cervical cancer screening has remained relatively static at 78.3 per cent for a number of years, but are now falling in the youngest and oldest ranges of eligible women.

Yet as a cancer that can be detected in pre-cancerous stage and, in fact, prevented, improving immunisation and screening rates could see a dramatic improvement in health outcomes – saving thousands of lives each year and millions of pounds for the NHS and wider economy.

Demos will be exploring the social and economic costs of cervical cancer and, critically, the cost savings associated with prevention, earlier diagnosis and treatment, made possible through immunisation and screening.

METHODology

Through a thorough review of NHS data, surveys of those with or surviving cervical cancer to estimate the social and wider costs associated with their diagnosis and interviews with medical experts, Demos will be able to gain an insight into the costs – human, social and financial – of the UK’s falling cancer screening rates, and will also model the impact on women, their families, the NHS and the economy of increased screening rates.

For more information on the project or to get involved please contact jo.salter@demos.co.uk.

The results of this research, supported by Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, will be released in June 2014.