Women Cancer Risk Shock

WOMEN who have pre-cancerous cells removed to prevent cervical cancer, remain at high risk of developing the disease in the following 20 years, researchers said yesterday. Screening programmes in the UK and elsewhere have led to a significant drop in deaths from cervical cancer by detecting and treating the cells which could turn into the disease.

But a study, published in the British Medical Journal, now suggests that women who have been treated for the pre-cancerous cells remain at a higher risk from the disease decades later.

In the latest study, researchers from Helsinki looked at the long- term risk o cancer in women who had treatment to remove pre- cancerous lesions.

The researchers followed 7,564 women treated during 1974-2001, following them up until 2003.

They discovered that there were 448 new cases of cancer in the women – 96 more than anticipated