STAFF at a private hospital have been raising awareness about one of the most common cancers in young women.
Employees at BMI Woodlands Hospital, in Darlington, have been involved in a week of raising awareness for Cervical Cancer Prevention Week, organised by Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust.
Cervical cancer, which is commonly caused by the human papillomavirus, has symptoms including pain and bleeding during or after sexual intercourse and vaginal bleeding between periods.
Women can be screened for cervical cancer through a smear test, which should be carried out every three years in women between 25 and 49, and every five years for those aged between 50 and 64.
Mr Remko Beukenholdt, consultant gynaecologist, said cervical cancer was the most common cancer in the UK for women aged 20 to 29, and the second most common in women under 35.
He said: "I am urging women to educate themselves about the symptoms of this cancer and why it is important to get checked."
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