When Vikki Ellis was hit by lower back pain and irregular discharge at the age of just 23, doctors assumed she was suffering a sexually transmitted infection.
But the actual cause was a cancer that kills roughly two women in Britain every day.
Despite requesting a smear test from her GP, her concerns were dismissed as she was deemed ‘too young’ for a cervical screening which is only offered to over-25s.
It was only in March 2015, once eligible aged 25, that she was diagnosed with cervical cancer that had spread to her lymph nodes.
Ms Ellis, from Eastbourne in East Sussex, has now had most of her cervix removed and operation to remove the lymph nodes.
However, in 2020 follow-up scans showed she had a suspicious mass in her cervix, which doctors believed may be cancerous.
She opted to undergo a preventative hysterectomy — a surgical procedure to remove her womb — in October 2021 at just 35-year-old, leading her into early menopause.
Now, she has warned of the three early signs she suffered before her diagnosis.
When Vikki Ellis was hit by lower back pain and irregular discharge at the age of just 23, doctors assumed it was a sexually transmitted infection. But the actual cause was a cancer that kills roughly two women in Britain every day
It was only in March 2015, once eligible, that Vikki Ellis was diagnosed with cervical cancer that had spread to the lymph nodes around her stomach
She told The Sun: ‘Sex was painful, I had irregular discharge, and I was having a lot of lower back pain.
‘Doctors also said that because I wasn’t bleeding, one of the primary symptoms of cervical cancer, my problems were likely caused by an STI, despite all tests coming back negative.’
In November 2014, after turning 25, her first smear test results came back inconclusive and she was called for another just days before Christmas, which revealed she had abnormal cells.
Then in March 2015, after having a colposcopy — which examines the vagina and cervix in more detail — she was called to her local hospital to discuss the results.
‘All I remembered about the conversation was that they were referring me to the Royal Marsden Hospital in London,’ she said.
‘As I had anticipated, I was diagnosed with stage 1A2 cervical cancer, meaning it had grown up to 5mm into cervical tissues.
‘It was caught early enough and I was very lucky, but it was probably there for 18 months or so before my actual diagnosis.’
Cervical cancer is the 14th most common cancer in females in the UK, affecting roughly 3,300 people every year.
In November 2014, after turning 25, her first smear test results came back inconclusive and she was called for another just days before Christmas , which revealed she had abnormal cells
But the disease is often called a ‘silent killer’ because its symptoms can be easily mistaken for less serious problems, such as heavy periods and exhaustion.
If the signs are recognised early, the chance of surviving for at least five years is roughly 95 per cent.
This drops to 15 per cent if the cancer is detected at later stages, when it has spread to other areas of the body.
Heavier periods, bleeding after sex, between periods, or after menopause, and pain during sex, or in general, particularly in your lower back, pelvis, or lower abdomen are all symptoms of the disease.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main cause of cervical cancer.
Around eight in 10 people will get HPV at some point in their life and their body will clear it without any problems, according to the NHS.
However, 13 out of the 150 varieties of the virus stay in the body for a long time and are known to cause 99.7 per cent per cent of cervical cancers.
After Mrs Ellis was told she required surgery, medics also warned she may have difficulty carrying a child.
Cervical cancer symptoms to look out for include unusual vaginal bleeding, pain during sex and lower back or pelvic pain
NHS cervical screening data, which goes back to 2011, shows uptake was at its highest that year (75.7 per cent) and has fallen over time
The operation also caused nerve damage to her thigh when the lymph nodes were removed, which has caused her pain ever since.
However, in 2017 she welcomed her daughter Florence, who is now 7-years-old.
In an interview with The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, she also said: ‘What blew my mind was that I was able to even get pregnant in the first place and also that my cancer surgery date was 12 June 2015 and my due date for my daughter was 12 June 2017.
‘When I was told my due date, I thought this must be a positive sign — she was my miracle baby.’
But at her five-year check up in 2020, doctors discovered a suspicious mass in her cervix.
She was offered a ‘watch and wait’ approach — monitored using scans every three months.
However, after a second mass appeared she underwent surgery in March 2021 to remove both, which she later found out were non-cancerous.
Despite this, she opted for a hysterectomy as a preventative measure.
Just 67.2 per cent of girls were fully vaccinated in 2021/22, down from a high of 86.7 per cent in 2013/14. Some 62.4 per cent of boys, who have been offered the jab on the NHS since 2019, were jabbed in the most recent school year, NHS data shows
‘I count my lucky stars that I’m here every day, and under the care of the Royal Marsden,’ Mrs Ellis told The Sun.
‘I go back to have regular check-ups, scans and monitoring. But not everyone is as lucky as I am.
‘My biggest regret is not backing myself when I knew something was wrong.’
Currently women aged 25 to 49 in the UK are invited for a cervical screening check at their GP surgery every three years.
For those aged between 50 and 64, it is offered every five years.
The Government has long argued it should not be offered below the age of 25 given ‘evidence has shown’ screening younger women ‘can lead to many unnecessary and harmful investigations and treatments’.
The abnormalities which may be flagged ‘sort themselves out without any need for treatment in most cases’ they say.
Screening is arguably all the more important for women aged 34 and above, who did not receive a vaccine that protects against the vast majority of cervical cancers as part of the school programme introduced in 2008.
Depending on the result of the smear test, some women may be recalled earlier than the three-year routine intervals.
But screening uptake overall remains low. Only around 70 per cent of eligible women, roughly 4.6million, turn up for their scheduled test.
Embarrassment is a factor, according to research by cervical cancer charities.
For half of the 1.3 million no-shows every year, getting time off work and finding a convenient time to fit in an appointment are the other reasons they miss it.
In 2023, the NHS pledged to drastically slash the number of women struck by cervical cancer by 2040, vowing to boost uptake of both the HPV vaccine and cervical screening.
However, elimination would technically be achieved when fewer than four women per 100,000 are diagnosed every year.
For comparison, the rate currently stands at 9.5 women, equating to around 2,600 annually.
This means around 1,100 women a year — or three a day — could still be dealt the heartbreaking diagnosis if the health service’s elimination goal is met.
In the UK, the HPV jab was offered to all girls in school year 8 since September 2008. But eligibility was only expanded to boys in year 8 from September 2019.
Experts have credited the HPV vaccine for helping to virtually eradicate the disease among women.
However, the jab, like all vaccines, does not offer 100 per cent protection, so women who have it are still recommended to have their regular smear tests.
