The period between routine cervical cancer screenings has been extended from every three years to every five years in Wales for women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 49.
Health bosses say the decision is due to the success of human papillomavirus (HPV) testing, which was introduced in Wales in 2018.
However, campaigners warn that increasing the time between screenings will put lives at risk.
Rachel Paul has launched a petition calling on the Welsh government and Public Health Wales to keep the cervical screening interval to three years.
She said: “From January 1 2022, if you are aged 25-49, the gap between routine tests has now changed from three to five years, meaning an additional two years between cervical screening and potentially seeing further deaths from cervical cancer.
“On average 3197 cases of cervical cancer are discovered each year with 854 deaths between 2016-2018, with only 51 per cent surviving this type of cancer for more than 10 years.
“Ninety-Nine per cent of cervical cancer cases are preventable, according to Cancer Research UK.
“Increasing the length of time between cervical screening is putting lives at risk.”
The new guidelines come following a recommendation from the UK National Screening Committee in 2019.
This change came into effect on January 1, 2022, and means that result letters sent from this date will advise recipients that their next appointment will follow in five years if certain conditions apply.
Louise Dunk, head of programme for Cervical Screening Wales at Public Health Wales said HPV testing was successfully introduced in Wales in 2018 and almost nine out of 10 results now show no high-risk HPV.
“Testing everyone who attends for cervical screening using a test for high-risk HPV will identify those at risk and prevent more cancers than just examining the cells alone.
“It is a really positive development that this more effective test will mean that people with a cervix, who test negative for HPV, now only need to attend their testing every five years, rather than three.
“Going for your screening appointment could save your life. By making an appointment you have the chance to prevent cervical cancer from developing, or picking it up at an early stage when it is more treatable.”
HPV is a very common virus that most people will come into contact with at some time during their lives. One or more high-risk types of HPV are present in over 99.8 per cent of cervical cancers.
There are around 160 cases of cervical cancer diagnosed every year in Wales and it is the most common cancer in women under the age of 35.
Cell changes found through regular cervical screening can be treated to prevent a cancer developing.
Heather Lewis, consultant in public health for Cervical Screening Wales said: “The HPV test we now use in Wales is more effective at identifying people at higher risk of developing cell changes which can cause cervical cancer.
“The evidence shows that it is, therefore, safe to extend the time between cervical screening tests for people who do not have HPV identified.”
Screening is not a test for cancer, but sometimes the test does pick up early cancers. Cervical cancers found early are easier to treat.
Samantha Dixon, chief executive of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust told Health Tech World: “By testing for HPV first, we now have a more sensitive and more effective way of identifying those at increased risk of cervical cancer at an earlier stage.
“This means that those who test negative for HPV are now able to be reinvited every five years, while those who test positive will actually be monitored more closely and be invited back in just one year.
“These changes are happening at different paces across the UK and brings Wales into line with Scotland.”
