- Document was released by a charity to try and improve the care of patients
- Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust interviewed women about the information and support given to them during diagnosis and treatment
- They found just 43 per cent were given consistent care throughout
- While almost a third reported a lack of psychological help after treatment
Stephen Matthews For Mailonline
View
comments
Cervical cancer patients are not being given vital support to cope with the side effects of treatment, a new report claims.
Almost a third of sufferers felt there was a lack of psychological help available after treatment.
While 94 per cent of patients had not been given a written care plan and only 43 per cent felt they were given consistent levels of care during their treatment.
Many reported a lack of help to assist them through the difficult impact of being diagnosed with cervical cancer.
Almost a third of cervical cancer patients feel there is a lack of help available. Kate Bolton, 44, from London, reveals how she was left in the dark about the side effects of treatment
Based on in-depth interviews with patients, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust released the document in a bid to improve the care of sufferers.
The charity interviewed 35 women about the information and support which was made available to them through their diagnosis and treatment.
Every participant claimed their relationships with friends and family had changed since being diagnosed.
Could acupuncture cure YOUR hot flushes? Needle therapy ‘can…
Father who was diagnosed with vertigo discovers he has a…
Want to stave off wrinkles? Here’s how: Expert reveals the…
Ambulance trust that let half its 111 calls go unanswered at…
While two-thirds reported intimate relationships had been affected by the disease.
The impact on finances, changes to or loss of fertility and the onset of early menopause were also areas many were dealing with.
But many felt there was a lack of help to guide them through of diagnosis and the side effects of treatment.
Every day, nine women in the UK are diagnosed and three women lose their lives to cervical cancer
One 25-year-old woman included in the report said: ‘There was no support after you get the all clear. There is no emotional support.
‘I see on the forums a lot that people think they should be happy as they have got rid of cancer but that’s not how it feels.
Robert Music, chief executive of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, told MailOnline: ‘Receiving a cervical cancer diagnosis can be extremely scary and confusing, and for many women receiving the all clear does not mean the end of the journey.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF CERVICAL CANCER?
Symptoms of the disease are not always obvious and may not appear until it is in an advanced stage.
In most cases, abnormal bleeding is the first sign. It usually occurs after sex although any unusual bleeding should be investigated.
Other symptoms include pain in and around the vagina during sex, an unpleasant smelling discharge and pain when passing urine.
If the cancer has spread there may be other symptoms including constipation, blood in the urine, loss of bladder control, bone pain and swelling in the legs and kidneys.
‘With this report we hope to draw attention to the often unmet emotional and psychological side effects of treatment and the potential long term impact they can have on the health, employment and relationships of patients.
‘The support patients receive from Clinical Nurse Specialists cannot be understated and we want to ensure even more women can fully benefit from the amazing cancer nurses that are out there.
‘We also encourage friends, family, colleagues and employers of women who have been affected by cervical cancer to read this report to get an insight in to what living with and beyond the disease may mean.’
Following its report, the charity is now calling for doctors to make clear the potential long and short term side effects of treatment.
They are also asking for greater attention to be given to the emotional and mental needs of patients and for each sufferer to be introduced to their consultant as soon as possible.
Women aged 25-49 are invited for a cervical screening – also known as a smear test – every three years while those between 50 and 64 have one every five years
Every day, nine women in the UK are diagnosed and three women lose their lives to cervical cancer.
Women aged 25-49 are invited for a cervical screening every three years while those between 50 and 64 have one every five years.
However, those under the age of 25 have the right to an internal examination should they have symptoms of the disease.
The tests are not designed to detect cancer. Instead they look for abnormalities that have the potential to develop into cancer at a later date.
The results mirror the 2015 National Cancer Patient Experience Survey of 71,186 cancer patients which found 27 per cent did not feel the possible side effects of treatment were fully explained at the time.
It also found 34 per cent of patients weren’t offered advice and support to deal with side effects and 46 per cent weren’t told how treatment could affect them in future.
You can find the report from Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust highlighting the experiences of women affected by cervical cancer here www.jostrust.org.uk.
THE MOTHER-OF-ONE WHO WAS LEFT IN THE DARK ABOUT POTENTIAL SIDE EFFECTS OF TREATMENT
Kate Bolton, 44, was diagnosed with stage 1bl1 cervical cancer towards the end of last year.
But the single-mother-of-one, from London, say she was never really told about the potential side effects from having an operation to remove the tumour.
And upon recovery, Ms Bolton believes she was never told about some things she would have to do following her operation.
She initially went for a smear test in August, four and a half years since her previous one.
A week after her screening, she received a voicemail telling her to ring the hospital as soon as possible to make an appointment.
This left her concerned, forcing her to ring around to find out what the appointment was for.
Kate Bolton, 44, was diagnosed with stage 1bl1 cervical cancer towards the end of 2015
She was told it would be a colposcopy and when she had it just days later she was told there was ‘something very abnormal’.
Ms Bolton said she was taken into a room and asked to sign a form confirming the biopsy had indeed been taken.
This left her frightened as she could tell something was badly wrong – but no-one was able to tell her what exactly it was.
After nine days she had not heard anything back – despite being told it would be a quick process – so began to make some calls.
She was told biopsy results usually take up to eight weeks but was then informed she had an appointment the following day.
Here, a consultant revealed she had cervical cancer – although she never showed any signs or symptoms.
The potential side effects of the radical hysterectomy she needed to remove the tumour were briefly explained to her.
Not once did the consultant talk to her about her fertility, she claims he assumed she already had as many children as she wanted.
Ms Bolton told MailOnline: ‘I didn’t feel like I had any choices. It felt like a one way street.
‘It was pretty awful to be honest. I got the impression that the nurse was there to pick up the pieces after the consultant had spoken to me.
‘It was very technical, it felt as though he wanted to get the operation done as quickly as possible.’
Upon recovery, she also claims she was never told she had to administer an injection every day to stop Deep Vein Thrombosis.
Share or comment on this article
e-mail
Most watched News videos
Arizona burros see grass for the first time and are skeptical
LAPD searching for man who punched a woman in Venice Beach
Rafael Nadal tennis match stopped as mum looks for lost child
Body cam footage shows police fatally shooting a 6-year-old boy
Alicia Machado appears topless on reality show The Farm
Angry mob attacks a Fresno Police car in broad daylight
Accused murderer threatens Judge Amber Wolf in court
Moment ‘ghost’ suddenly flings open door and smashes glass
Marlins fans, team bid farewell to pitcher Jose Fernandez
Trump on Alicia Machado in 1997: ‘She’s really terrific’
‘You’re beautiful’ says one fan during Kate’s tour of Canada
White student wearing gorilla mask interrupts BLM campus protest
‘Your parents are not good people’: Bill Clinton ‘rape’…
Sex on a reality TV show, a Playboy photo shoot, a threat to…
Jose Fernandez’s pregnant girlfriend breaks cover to say…
JP Morgan worker, 37, and her trader sister, 42, from…
Mind the gap! Aides panic as William and Kate make spur of…
Pictured: The hero firefighter who tackled South Carolina…
EXCLUSIVE: Pitcher Jose Fernandez broke off his engagement…
Muslim journalist, 22, poses for PLAYBOY wearing a hijab -…
‘Karma will get you!’: Victim’s family’s fury as college…
‘Very drunk’ Jimmy Fallon, who has denied having a drinking…
Miss Universe ‘fat-shamed’ by Donald Trump was accused of…
Jose Fernandez’s ex-fiancée admits ‘not one day will pass…
Comments (0)
Share what you think
No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts,
or debate this issue live on our message boards.
Find out now