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Smear test 'saved my life' after detecting cancer

Alexandra Bassingham
BBC News, West of England
Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Joanne Male is wearing a black top and heart locket necklace, standing in front of a river and iron rail. She has her blonde hair down and is wearing dark rimmed glasses. There are tree branches behind her with green leaves.Cancer Research UK (CRUK)
Joanne Male was diagnosed, and treated for cervical cancer, after originally ignoring her invitation for a routine smear test

A woman who put off having a smear test "for years" has said finally deciding to go for the appointment "saved her life".

Joanne Male from Chippenham, Wiltshire, attended her smear appointment last October and a follow-up procedure confirmed she had cervical cancer.

The 40-year-old said: "It's easy to ignore the screening letters… [but] If I hadn't had that smear test I can't imagine what situation I would be in now as I had no symptoms."

She hopes her story encourages more women to have the test when first invited, and to raise awareness of the work of Cancer Research UK (CRUK) in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer.

Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Joanne Male is wearing a black top and heart locket necklace, standing in front of the jewellery store window where she works. She has her blonde hair down and is wearing dark rimmed glasses.Cancer Research UK (CRUK)
"Despite all my fears, taking part in screening turned out to be a lifeline," Ms Male said

According to the NHS England Cervical Screening Programme, between 2023-2024, three in 10 people in the South West were overdue for their cervical screening.

Given her options Ms Male chose to have a hysterectomy as she "wanted to make sure there was no chance of my cancer returning" then received the news she was cancer-free on Christmas Eve.

"I'm painfully aware had I left it any longer, it could have been a very different story," said the mum of one.

Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Nathasha Unwin with brown hair in a parting and scraped back, Natasha Stanford with her blonde hair down which she wears with a fringe, Joanne Male with dark rimmed glasses and a blue lanyard round her neck and Ellie May, with dark rimmed glasses and her light brown hair down with a central parting. All four are wearing black tops and smiling at the camera, standing in a tight group with their arms round each other.Cancer Research UK (CRUK)
Ms Male said she tells everyone her story, including colleagues and friends to encourage them to attend screening appointments

CRUK said it believes barriers to screening include women previously finding cervical screening painful, or worrying about it being painful and not wanting a man to carry out the screening test.

Some have also reported being too embarrassed about going for cervical screening and some assume they are not at risk of cervical cancer, a spokesperson said.

Ms Male, who works in a jewellers, said: "You never think cancer will happen to you."

"But screening only takes a couple of minutes and there's always time to fit in an appointment for something like this that can change your life," she added.

With two in four people currently surviving cancer for at least 10 years, CRUK is working to accelerate progress towards three in four people surviving their cancer by 2034, they added.

Ms Male said she is so grateful to CRUK and the cancer specialists and feels "so lucky to be here to enjoy so many more precious moments with my loved ones," she added.

What to look out for

Most common symptoms of cervical cancer include:

  • Unusual vaginal bleeding
  • Pain or discomfort during sex
  • Vaginal discharge
  • Pain in the area between the hip bones (pelvis)

Not everyone diagnosed with cervical cancer will have symptoms. That's why it is important to attend regular cervical screening.

Source: Cancer Research UK

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