A mum from West Belfast is calling for HPV screening to be routinely used as the primary cervical cancer screening in Northern Ireland as she said a chance check during a recent smear test saved her life.
Nichola Denver, 45, went for her smear test on June 24 and said she "didn't think anything of it" as she had never missed a test since she first went in her 20s.
Seven weeks later, on September 7, Nichola was called by her doctor who told her abnormal cells had been found in her cervix and that she was HPV positive. Not knowing what HPV was, she was told certain strains of it can cause cancer, and that one of these had been discovered in her test.
Read more: MLA calls for cervical cancer screenings in NI to be upgraded
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the name of a very common group of viruses. They do not cause any problems in most people, but some strains can lead to cervical and other types of cancer.
"I've never missed a smear in my life, I've been going for the tests since I was in my 20's. Everything has always been perfect, then my smear this year was three months late due to covid," Nichola told Belfast Live.
"I went on June 24 and didn't think anything of it, then on September 7 I hadn't heard anything and got a phone call at nine in the morning from the doctor. It took me by surprise because the only thing I heard her say was 'abnormal cells' and 'you're HPV positive' and 'we will be in contact with you for treatment.' I freaked out a wee bit when I heard that.
"I went into an absolute panic, but calmed myself down and made an appointment to phone the doctor back, and had a chat with them a day later. I hadn't a clue what was going on, and the doctor told me they now test for HPV.
"HPV comes in many different strains, but mine just so happened to be strain 16. Strain 16 and 18 are the cancer causing ones in your cervix.
"I freaked out and asked if I had cancer. She said no, but that I had low to high grade cell changes and it's the HPV that shows this up. She calmed me down a wee bit.
"On October 13, I went for a colposcopy, they did biopsies, and they did the LLETZ treatment, which is basically where they burn away all the bad cells. I'm currently waiting on the results of that."
When women in Northern Ireland attend a smear test, they are tested using a method called cytology, which examines the cells under a microscope, and is less sensitive than HPV screening.
The differences in testing mean Northern Ireland's cervical cancer screening programmes continue to lag behind the rest of the UK.
The Department of Health has committed to moving to this testing method, but there is a question over what happens next without an executive and guaranteed funding in place.
Nichola said more people need to be aware of HPV and the impact certain strains of it can have. She said she has been trying to raise awareness herself, by telling friends to ask their doctors if they're offering HPV screenings when they attend for a smear test.
Nichola added: "That HPV test really saved my life. If they didn't carry out that test, they wouldn't have found that on time.
"If you're sexually active, 98% of the population will have had HPV at some time in their lives and it can take decades to show up in your system. It's scary.
"It can come and go, it just so happened that when I went for my smear and they checked for it, and it happened to be HPV 16 which was the dangerous one. I hadn't one symptom, absolutely nothing. It's a deadly, silent, horrible thing."
The mum-of-three is calling for politicians in Northern Ireland to get the screening in place, to bring us up-to-date with what's carried out in England, Scotland and Wales. She also said she would like to see smear tests being offered to younger age groups, below the age of 25 that women are now called at.
Nichola said: "I have two daughters who are both in their 20s, I don't understand why they haven't been called for smear tests. I know they got the HPV injection in school, which targets the 16 and 18 strains, but that doesn't mean they won't get other strains.
"Stormont seriously need to get their act together. There are so many people who are having this missed in them.
"If it's taking so long to be picked up or if it's not being picked up, you're going down a path you don't want to go down health-wise. They really need to step this up for all women to be tested for HPV. We are so behind everybody else and we really need to catch up."
Foyle MLA, Sinead McLaughlin, has called for "urgent progress" on making HPV screening the primary screening test in Northern Ireland.
Ms McLaughlin said she has written to the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health to ask what progress can be made in the absence of an Executive.
She said: "Women in Northern Ireland continue to be left behind by the outdated measures that we are using and by the failure to form an Executive which is hindering the ability to advance this measure.
"Cervical screening saves at least 2,000 lives a year and the introduction of HPV screening was included as an action in the Cancer Strategy back in March, yet we have seen no progress to date.
"The lack of an agreed budget is costing potentially life-saving progress on this important issue that affects so many women across the North. I find it simply scandalous that we have no Ministers in place when our devolved administration could make life-saving interventions to help women and girls.
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