Gynecologists are belittled by young women who are worried after the TV2 program “Norway behind the facade” about cervical cancer. In the program on TV 2, we met 28-year-old Maren Walvik Johnsen. She took her first pap smear when she was 25. The result was nice. But it turned out to be wrong. Because there is a certain uncertainty associated with the cell tests and the answers. According to the Norwegian Cancer Registry, which has developed the screening program used, no tests are 100 percent safe. – Many people are skeptical. People like us, who took tests a couple of years ago, think “do you have to go in again to get a new answer or not”, asks student Stine Løland. She studies health sciences at the University of Southeast Norway together with her friend Anita Pisey. – It is natural that we talk a lot about this with our fellow students, says Pisey. Many healthy people are afraid of a cancer diagnosis. Medical secretaries Lena Solberg and Siv Næslund at the Gynecology Clinic in Drammen receive all calls and inquiries from young women who now want to take pap smears. The medical secretaries at the Gynecology Clinic in Drammen, Lena Solberg (left) and Siv Næslund, are experiencing a lot of stress these days. Photo: Maria Kommandantvold / news The attendance is, in short, enormous. – During a normal day, we have around 100 telephone consultations. On Tuesday we had over 170, says gynecologist Deirdre Nsubuga. A good number of them, says Nsubuga, revolve around the current concern. – This is linked to cell samples that may be described as normal, but where the patient is still diagnosed with cancer a year and a half later. What should be trusted? Then the women get scared, don’t they? she says. Gynecologist Deirdre Nsubuga at the Gynecology Clinic in Drammen tells of busy days and heavy workload. Photo: Maria Kommandantvold / news Difficult to see dangerous cell changes news has been in contact with the Norwegian Gynecological Association, which says there have been many inquiries in recent days. – We have received reports that gynecologists across large parts of the country have increased the number of worried women after the TV2 documentary, says chairman Ragnar Kvie Sande. Gynecologist Nina Willumsen at the Nimo clinic says that within a few hours on Wednesday morning they received 40 new appointments. This from young women who wanted to have their pap smear checked or take a new one. Senior doctor Sveinung W. Sørbye at the University Hospital in Northern Norway is one of the country’s foremost experts on cervical cancer. He tells TV 2 that it is difficult to see what are dangerous cell changes, because the samples from women between 25 and 34 are mainly assessed with a microscope. Senior doctor Sveinung Wergeland Sørbye. Photo: Aurora Berg / news – What we know is that half of all women with high-grade precancerous lesions are told that the pap smear is normal, and that is not good enough, he says. Can the pap smear results be trusted? – My student friend and I talked about it recently. She will be 25 this year and was supposed to book a pap smear appointment. But I doubted whether there was a point as there is so much uncertainty. Of course I told her to do it anyway. But you have doubts; can you trust the results?, says student Maud Sørum Vestnes. Maud Sørum Vestnes fears that the pap smear results cannot be trusted. Photo: Maria Kommandantvold / news The general insecurity among young women means that gynecologist Deirdre Nsubuga today has to spend a large part of her time reassuring them. Don’t blindly trust the pap smear results, says the gynecologist. Photo: Maria Kommandantvold / news – Of course, it’s part of our everyday life anyway. But yes, I think we’re going to see a significant increase in phones to us. She adds that those who experience something abnormal should contact us anyway. – Patients with complaints should not rely on a normal Pap test result. They will take it further, says Nsubuga. Better testing during the year A total of 345 women got cervical cancer in 2021, according to the Cancer Register. They write on their website that during 2023, younger women will also be offered a more sensitive cervical test, a so-called HPV test. – Over time, we have seen an increase in the incidence of cervical cancer. Although assessment of a cell sample under a microscope has been a good method, the HPV test is a more sensitive method. Women with proven HPV are investigated further. In this way, the risk of overlooking serious cell changes will be even lower, says head of the cervix program Ameli Tropé.
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Gynecologists in Drammen are called down by young women – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
