A mother-of-two who was successfully treated for cervical cancer at the Royal United Hospital (RUH) IN Bath is appealing to women to check themselves for symptoms.
Becky Curtis, who had a tumour removed during surgery at the hospital, made the appeal during Cervical Cancer Prevention Week, January 21 to January 28.
Becky said “My message to other women would be: if something doesn’t feel right, get it checked.
“Don’t ignore it – get an appointment with your GP. It really could save your life.
“I think some people don’t realise that cervical cancer can be a deadly killer, but it really can be. Please make sure you attend your cervical screening appointments and look out for symptoms.”
Becky, 42, from Wiltshire, was first diagnosed in 2020, during lockdown.
“I’d been bleeding intermittently and it was worse when I went walking.
“I spoke to my GP who got me straight in to the RUH and within 24 hours I was having examinations and scans – the support from the hospital was just incredible. They could see there was a tumour, but fortunately the cancer hadn’t spread.
“It was a very scary time for me personally, and with it all taking place in lockdown it was quite overwhelming. I also had the operation on my son’s 14th birthday, which just added to the emotion of it all.
“I had a very anxious wait after the operation but it was good news and the surgery had been a success. I was also very lucky that I didn’t need to have chemotherapy or radiotherapy.”
Becky has now been in remission for five years and remains cancer free.
She added: “I’m definitely one of the lucky ones. I know for many women the outcomes can be very different.
“I can’t speak highly enough of the care I received at the RUH. All of the staff were so caring and supportive, particularly the gynaecology oncology clinical nurse specialists who were always there for me and were wonderful.”
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally. In the UK, around 3,200 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year. It can be cured if diagnosed at an early stage and treated promptly. The earlier the cancer is found, the easier it is to treat.
While not everyone diagnosed with cervical cancer will have symptoms, things to look out for include unusual vaginal bleeding, pain during sex, vaginal discharge or pain in the area between the hip bones (pelvis).
RUH have their Dyson Cancer Centre, which brings together many of the RUH’s cancer services under one roof to provide a cancer services hub. It includes theoncology, chemotherapy and radiotherapy services, a 22-bed inpatient ward, dedicated pharmacy, and research, physics and nuclear medicine teams.
There’s more information and support available on the Cancer Research UK website - https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cervical-cancer.