Refused a Pap Smear; And Now She’s Gone

The death of a young mother in United Kingdom has raised an important issue among young women in Australia who have been told, “I am too young to die of cervical cancer”.

A common theme on cancer survivor sites for young women, it seems we have either been misinformed or are unaware of when the deadly disease can strike. And given the ‘regularly published’ average age of cervical cancer patients is 48, you can understand why young women in their 20s are negligent when booking their biannual Pap smear.

However, avoiding the doctor’s office was not the case when it came to 24-year-old mother Rachel Sarjantson, who died after she was denied a Pap smear because she was “too young”.

The young mum was told by nurses at public health clinic she would have to wait until she was 25 – the age women must reach to receive a test in the UK – before she could be tested.

The decision turned out to be a fatal flaw in the public health system, with Rachel diagnosed with an aggressive form of cervical cancer following her 25th birthday.

Tragically, undergoing a radical hysterectomy and radiation therapy wasn’t enough to save Rachel and she died on August 12, last year.

Doctors have now called her death “completely avoidable”, although would not see reason at the time.

In Australia, the National Cervical Screening Program currently recommends all women aged between 18 and 70 who have ever been sexually active have regular Pap tests of every two years.

Astonishingly, more than 730 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year and nine out of ten of these women have not had regular Pap tests.

The NSW Cancer Institute told News.com.au, a study has found these women are confused by an announcement about a new more effective test that will only have to be done every five years.

This test won’t be available until 2016 and women must have their regular test in between, says the Institute.

In 2011, there were 682 cases of cervical cancer. In 2012, that number dropped to 143 women who died from cervical cancer, and In 201213, 58 per cent of eligible women aged 2069 had a Pap test.

Yet, despite the statistics, the number of women diagnosed with cervical cancer has halved since the introduction of organised screening in 1991, which makes the Pap more important than ever.

Since the young UK mother’s death, her mother Lisa has spoken out in the Australian Women’s Weekly about her daughter’s fight and her positivity.

“She was a loving person and very close with her little boy. Throughout the whole thing, she remained positive,” said Lisa.

“She never gave in and made a bucket list because as far as she was concerned she was going to beat it,” she continued, “She was trying to plan camping trips. She really wanted to get better and to carry on – as far as she was concerned that’s what she was going to do.”

“Even when the doctors said you don’t have to have any more operations if you don’t want, she said ‘no, that would be giving in’.”

Rachel’s sister, Zoe, has also given a voice to her sister’s plight, commenting that lowering the age limit for pap smears might saved thousands of lives including her sister’s.

“If the age limit had been lowered already, she might still be here,” said Zoe.

“So many young girls are dying of it. Maybe in time they can help other mums, for their children’s sake if not anything else.”

The current age minimum in the UK stands at 25.

ABOUT CERVICAL SCREENING..

• Cervical screening detects early pre-cancerous changes in the cervix before cervical cancer develops. Cervical screening can also detect if cervical cancer is present.
• Cells are collected from the surface of the cervix and sent to a laboratory where they are tested for cellular abnormalities.
• Cervical screening does not check for other problems in the reproductive system such as ovarian cancer or sexually transmitted infections.
• Screening is for people without symptoms. If you are concerned about any symptoms, please contact your health care provider.

Cervical screening can be provided through your general practice, community or women’s health centre, family planning clinic, sexual health clinic or Aboriginal Medical Service.

Worldwide, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer for women and the seventh most common cancer overall. There were an estimated 266,000 deaths from cervical cancer in 2012. Almost 90% of cervical cancer deaths occur in less developed regions, due to the lack of screening programs.

Rachel and many more women died because of undiagnosed Cervical Cancer..

Will their death save the others?