Proportion of women in England not screened for cervical cancer at 10-year high

Lab testing for cancer. An NHS medical director says the new more sensitive way of screening for cervical cancer means there is a chance ‘to eliminate cervical cancer altogether’. Photograph: David Davies/PA

Record numbers of women are not being screened for cervical cancer, official figures show, as a leading charity urged ministers to commit to eliminating the disease.

Cervical cancer is the 14th most common cancer among women in the UK. About 3,200 women are diagnosed with it each year, of whom more than a quarter die.