Cancer sufferer’s desperate plea for women to take test

Christine Gilliland, 55, wants to hammer home the message during Cervical Cancer Prevention Week, which runs until Sunday, after being diagnosed with the devastating condition which could have been avoided with a 10 minute screening.

Instead she was faced with years of gruelling treatment, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, at the cancer centre, Reiver House, in Carlisle’s Cumberland Infirmary.

As a result she lost her hair and was sick for weeks at a time.

Twice she had to stop the therapy because it gave her anaphylactic shock, a dangerous allergic reaction, which she described as “the most awful feeling” because her body rejected the treatment.

Known to friends as Tina, the mum-of-two was given the bomb-shell diagnosis on December 18, 2015, and was told in 2017 that the cancer had spread to her lungs.

She was told by doctors that her condition was “terminal” and, though there is no sign of the cancer after her treatment, they say it will return.

The diagnosis means that the cancer will be treated palliatively in future - where the focus will be on relieving pain, rather than the cause of the condition.

Tina, who is also a grandmother-of-five, has spoken out after a shock study by charity North West Cancer Research revealed cervical cancer rates in the county were 35 per cent higher than the national average.

Figures also released by the NHS showed one-in-five - 15,964 out of 79,577 women - were not screened in north and west Cumbria, despite being eligible.

Tina, who lives in Prospect, near Aspatria, with husband Peter, 52, said: “I have told my doctors not to tell me how long I have got to live.

“I’m not even half the woman I used to be because of all the treatment that I have had, it has really taken its toll.

“I shall have chemotherapy for the rest of my life.

“It is a horrible disease, horrendous. I was having chemotherapy every three weeks, then I’d be on the settee for two weeks feeling sick.

“And just as you’re getting over it, I would go for another chemo.

“The treatment makes you feel ill, you don’t have an appetite, you lose weight and you don’t have the energy to do things.

“It is really powerful stuff, chemotherapy, and my hair has fallen out.

“I’m 55 and I did not think I would get to this age.”

She continued: “If a woman goes for a smear test and the results come back positive for abnormal cells then they don’t have to have chemotherapy, they can deal with it - sometimes the abnormal cells even right themselves.

“I know that women are busy, they have their children, they see to everyone else, but to save their lives they have to look after themselves.”

The disease has forced her to give up a job she loved, working with children as a mental health nurse at the Carleton Clinic in Carlisle, because of the risk of infection, something she needs to avoid.

This week the NHS has announced it has the “potential to eliminate” cervical cancer in England through the introduction of a new screening that looks for traces of Human Papillomavirus (HPV), the cause of nearly all cases of the disease, and an HPV vaccine.

Prof Peter Johnson, NHS national clinical director for cancer, said: “Screening is one of the most effective ways of protecting against cervical cancer and there is no doubt this new way of testing will save lives.

“Combined with the success of the HPV vaccine for both boys and girls, the chances of surviving cervical cancer are a record high, but there is always more we can do.”

In most cases, HPV goes away harmlessly without treatment but sometimes it causes cells to change which, if not treated, could develop into the cancer.

However Tina said that many women are put off the screening because of the stigma attached to contracting HPV, even though eight out of 10 people, men and women, have it at some point in their lives.

The new HPV test is more accurate than the old cytology test and it is estimated that it can prevent about 500 cases a year.

Tina added: “Women seem to think it is their fault, they think that they get HPV because they are sexually active. They feel like they have done something wrong, but it is not their fault.”

Her fears have been echoed by charity, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, who ran a survey of 2,034 women in December which showed worrying levels of misunderstanding around the virus.

The charity believes it could have a damaging effect on the lives of women so it’s running its #SmearForSmear campaign to get the facts out.

It showed that a third of women, 33 per cent, consider HPV a taboo topic and almost four in 10, 39 per cent, would not want to know a person if they had it.

Half would consider ending a relationship with someone who has HPV, 41 per cent would not want to have sex with them, and 23 per cent would not even kiss anyone with the virus.

The charity said that people often assume infidelity, while 57 per cent would question if their partner had been unfaithful.

It also says that calls to its helpline about HPV issues have more than doubled over the last year which are likely to increase.

Robert Music, chief executive, the trust said: “No one should feel ashamed about having HPV. We must normalise the virus to reduce the emotional impact of diagnosis and ensure people know where to get trustworthy information and support.

“This means stripping away the stigma and getting the facts out. Smear tests are the best protection against cervical cancer and we want women to understand what their results mean, instead of having to navigate myths.”

He added: “It is not always easy for everyone to attend a test for many reasons such as embarrassment, fear or not understanding what the test is for.

“Some women, including survivors of sexual violence or those with a physical disability, can find it especially hard.

“It is important that everyone who wants to attend cervical screening is able to and given the support they need.

“Turning around these high rates of cervical cancer in Cumbria must be a priority.”

n To find out more the tests go online to nhs.co.uk/conditions/cervical-screenings