Women in Barking and Dagenham are being urged to attend regular cervical cancer screening appointments.
Cervical screening, also known as smear tests, help identify pre-cancerous cells and allow doctors to treat women at increased risk of cervical cancer.
This prevents around 75 per cent of cervical cancers from developing and saves an estimated 5,000 lives each year in the UK.
In the borough, though, only 64.1 per cent of women aged 25 to 49, and 75.2pc of women aged 50 to 64 attend their smear test when invited.
To mark cervical cancer prevention week, running this week, GPs are encouraging women to book a free test if they have not been screened in the past three years.
Dr Kanika Rai said: “Regular cervical screening is crucial for protecting women against cervical cancer. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of women attending their smear test when invited.”
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