TY - JOUR T1 - Achieving earlier diagnosis of symptomatic cervical cancer JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 495 LP - 496 DO - 10.3399/bjgp14X681649 VL - 64 IS - 627 AU - Fiona M Walter AU - Amos D Mwaka AU - Richard D Neal Y1 - 2014/10/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/64/627/495.abstract N2 - Gynaecological cancers have a combined annual incidence second only to breast cancer among women in the UK. Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer after uterine and ovarian cancer with approximately 3100 new cases and just under 1000 deaths annually in the UK. It is the most common cancer in women aged <35 years, and over 75% of UK cases are diagnosed in women aged <65 years. Cervical cancer survival is higher among women diagnosed at a younger age. The 5-year UK survival percentage is 67% overall, and almost 90% for women <40 years of age.1 However, poorer outcomes in the UK compared with other western European countries have been well documented, and there is increasing evidence that earlier diagnosis of cervical, uterine, and ovarian cancers could contribute to a reduction in the survival gap between UK and European averages.2Uterine and ovarian cancers are known to mainly present symptomatically, however, the UK’s long established cervical cancer screening programme has led to a widely-held belief among both patients and some primary care providers that the vast majority of cervical cancers are identified via screening and before symptoms develop. Cervical cancers are, indeed, identified through screening programmes, however, a study by Lim and colleagues in this issue of the BJGP clearly shows that many women with cervical cancer do present with symptoms, such as vaginal bleeding, vaginal discharge, and abdominal pain. Their interview study examines the determinants of diagnostic delays among young women with symptomatic … ER -