International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Young women must continue to go for cervical cancer screening, it has been claimed.

Tony Kerridge, a spokesperson for Marie Stopes International, said there is "a slight concern" that women believe they do not require screening if they have received the HPV vaccine.

He suggested that many women in this situation ignore calls from their GP about their eligibility for screening.

This "could potentially be the recipe for some disaster", Mr Kerridge said.

He was commenting after a report published in the British Journal of Cancer indicated that the number of UK women in their twenties diagnosed with cervical cancer will drop by over two thirds by 2025, thanks to the introduction of the HPV vaccine.

Mr Kerridge said: "Overall, the vaccine programme is a very positive move and the more young people who come forward and get vaccinated, the better."

Posted by Paul Robertson