"Jade Goody effect" behind rise in cancer screenings, say docs.

Byline: ANI

London, Feb 17 (ANI): Specialists dealing with cervical cancer have reported that there is a rise in the number of women coming in for their cervical smears and they have dub it as the "Jade Goody effect".

After Goody, 27, revealed that she was suffering from the disease, there was an increase in the number of tests done.

University Hospital Lewisham, in southeast London, reported that it has carried out 21 percent more tests in the months since Goody was diagnosed with cervical cancer last August compared with the same period in 2007.

"We have definitely seen an increase in uptake due to Jade Goody," the Guardian quoted Robert Music, director of the cervical cancer organization, Jo's Trust, as saying.

"The fact that it is in the news a lot of the time clearly makes a difference. I think that in this celebrity age, many people relate to Goody. It is almost as if she has become a part of their lives- a family member," he said.

Katie Boyd, consultant pathologist for Bournemouth and Poole primary care trust, said cervical screening workloads had increased markedly in the past four months, particularly among women of Goody's age.

"We have seen a lot more women coming for smear tests who have not come before and therefore an increase in the number of abnormalities among that group. Women read magazines and are influenced by these things," she said.

"I am very sad for Jade Goody but if it encourages more people to have tests then that is positive," she stated.

But she cannot say for sure if the Goody effect will lead to an increase in cervical cancer detection in England.

"The test is not much fun. People don't come because they are embarrassed or they can't take the time off work," Boyd added.

In 2005, 2,803 women in the UK were diagnosed with cervical cancer. It caused 949 deaths in the UK in 2006. (ANI)

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