Cervical screen Jana Pittman’s story

CervIcal screen

Olympic athlete and Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation (ACCF) ambassador, Dr Jana Pittman, was recently diagnosed with a rare form of cervical dysplasia, causing the development of abnormal cells in the cervix. Dr Pittman underwent surgery at the beginning of March this year to remove the abnormal cells.

‘It was a bit unexpected especially because everything seemed normal, and I didn’t have any symptoms’.

Dr Pittman was given the news that she had a precancerous condition of the cervix back in 2014 while having IVF treatment to conceive her daughter. Thankfully Dr Pittman fully recovered from her condition, but this time circumstances were very different; ‘I had symptoms back in 2014 so it was obvious that I needed to go and have a check-up and follow the correct treatment pathways suitable to me. This time however, there was nothing obvious to indicate that something was wrong, but I had a funny gut feeling. When I was waiting for the results of my CST some part of my subconscious just knew it wasn’t going to be normal, I couldn’t believe that my gut instinct was correct.’ A recent study has revealed that Australia is set to be the first country to eliminate cervical cancer, aided by the national HPV vaccination and screening program. According to the research, cervical cancer could be classified as ‘rare’ by 2022 and the new goal for eliminating the cancer is the year 2028. The National Cervical Screening Program changed in 2017 from a two-yearly ‘pap smear’ test to the new and improved five-yearly ‘Cervical Screening Test’ or ‘CST’ that detects for the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), the most common cause of cervical cancer.

However, the HPV vaccination and cervical screening programs have been subjected to disruption because of the pandemic. In order to meet the new elimination goal, it is important for women 25 years and older, and all Australians with a cervix, to ensure their vaccinations are up to date and that they are attending regular Cervical Screening Tests. Elizabeth Ham, National Health Promotion Manager, Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation (ACCF) said; ‘It is wonderful to hear that Australia could be the first country in the world to eliminate cervical cancer. At ACCF we see firsthand the detrimental affect a cervical cancer diagnosis can have on an individual and their loved ones. Too many women have lost their lives to this cancer, which can be preventable in certain circumstances if the correct measures are taken.

The number of Cervical Screening Tests being performed has dropped during the pandemic. HPV vaccination of young people has also been disrupted due to schools being closed. Now that life is getting back to some kind of normal it is so important that people who may have delayed their CST during the pandemic are making sure they are now up to date and parents and guardians are contacting schools to ensure their children’s vaccinations are all up to date.’

In 2019, an estimated 951 new cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed in women in Australia.

An estimated 256 women died from the disease in 2019. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2019 statistics over 70% (72%) of cervical cancers occur in women who have never-screened or who were lapsed screeners.

The ACCF vision is to eliminate cervical cancer in Australia. They are working to facilitate and implement practical programs designed to provide awareness about prevention of and vaccination, screening and treatments for cervical cancer, cervical abnormalities and HPV related cancers and enable and encourage effective changes which produce life-saving results to improve women’s health outcomes and contribute to empowering women.

‘We are so lucky in this country that we have the option to be screened. If you leave it too long, you might not be that lucky. My message to all women out there is to have the screening done and get the treatment done if you need it. That way you can breathe and sleep easy knowing that component of your health is looked after. It can be scary because often there aren’t symptoms. The Cervical Screening Test is one of those things you just need to do. I was up to date with my CSTs this time and still there was cellular abnormalities found so I am just very glad that I continued on the routine screening program.’ ‘I got the call last week to say everything was clear at this point which is great news. I’ll have a Cervical Screening Test in six months to keep an eye on things and then every 12 months after that. And then hopefully after a few years I can get back onto the routine screening (every 5 years).’

Jana Pittman

To find out more go to: accf. org.au