Deaths Due to Cervical Cancer Pap Smear Once Denied

Cornwall, UK, cervical cancer usually strikes people who are married or sexually active. But in England a young woman died from cervical cancer and previously he refused to do a pap smear.

Symptoms of cervical cancer which is owned by Mercedes Curnow has emerged since he was 20 years old, but when it's presenting symptoms are often ignored because they did not think going to get cervical cancer at a young age.

When he tried to do pap smear test to find out what the cause of the symptoms, the doctor refused to do so because he was still a young age of 20 years.

But a year later, symptoms get worse and the doctor finally diagnosed him with cervical cancer in April 2010. But unfortunately it was too late, 33 sessions of radiotherapy and 9 months of chemotherapy could not save his life. He died at home in his mother's arms on December 14, 2011.

"Mercedes has rejected doing a pap smear because arguably his age are too young. If he did a pap smear when it's possible he is alive today because cervical cancer is quite aggressive, the sooner the better known, the healing," said her mother, Sandra Cousin, as quoted from Dailymail, Monday (24/01/2012).

Now his mother established a foundation in memory of her daughter as well as encourage other young women under the age of 25 years to seek medical attention early on possible signs of cervical cancer.

Regulation of local government in 2003 said that the pap smear test regularly is only given to women aged over 25 years, this is what makes Curnow rejected when trying to perform a pap smear.

Meanwhile, a spokesman from the local Health Department said the screening is performed on women aged under 25 years old and not sexually active would be more harmful than beneficial.

This is because screening for cervical cancer is not a test for, but a test to see is there any abnormalities that could lead to the development of cancer in the future. To a young age usually recommended melakuakn vaccination against cervical cancer as a form of prevention.

Cervical cancer incidence and deaths from it are very rare in women under 25 years. Because the disease is more susceptible occurs in women aged over 40 years.

Cervical cancer is cancer that is caused by infection with Human Papillomavirus or HPV. These viruses are different types, but which have the potential cause of cervical cancer is about 20 and among the most common type and are at high risk types 16 and 18 (80 per cent of the causes of cervical cancer).