The reason why this website is called Cancer Screening reflects
the issue that intrigues me the most in the cervical cancer
debate. As I said before, in many countries, including Portugal
where I come from, screening for cervical cancer usually starts
as early as women become sexually active. In England it doesn’t
start until the age of 25. Different factors should be
considered when judging the quality of a screening programme,
regardless the type of cancer it applies to. Budget, culture and
private health services are just some of them, which partly
explains why there isn’t a common cancer screening programme,
for example, on a European level. I spoke to one expert who is
particularly concerned about such discrepancies. Dr. Armando
Brito de Sá is Professor of General Practice and Family Medicine
at the Medical School of Lisbon University. He agrees with the
screening programme adopted by the NHS. Both the age to start
screening and the frequency (every three to five years) are
recommended for the Portuguese