A GLASGOW mother says she has been left "too worried to sleep" after being told she faces a 49-week wait for cancer checks following an abnormal smear test result.

Alison Meighan, whose cervical screen was also positive for the human papillomavirus (HPV), said she is "terrified" that the delay could lead her to develop advanced disease if the changes detected turn out to be cancer which is not treated in time, reports our sister title The Herald.

NHS guidelines stipulate that patients should receive a colposcopy - a detailed examination of the cervix which is carried out in hospital - within a maximum of eight weeks if a smear tests detects both abnormal cells and HPV, the virus which causes the vast majority of cervical cancer cases.

The most urgent cases should be seen within two weeks, and high-grade cases within four.

READ MORE: Look back at the history of the life-saving smear test

Despite additional symptoms including bleeding, weight loss, and pain, Ms Meighan has been rated as a low-grade referral which means she should wait no longer than eight weeks.

However, spiralling backlogs mean that the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde currently has an average waiting time of 47 weeks for routine colposcopies.

Cervical cancer charity, Jo's Trust, raised concerns earlier this year over "significant issues" in the region compared to the rest of the UK.

Glasgow Times: Alison Meighan, from Pollokshields, says she is worried about other symptoms including bleeding, pain and weight loss Alison Meighan, from Pollokshields, says she is worried about other symptoms including bleeding, pain and weight loss (Image: Gordon Terris/Herald&Times)

Cervical screening is designed to identify people at high-risk of developing cervical cancer by detecting changes in cells at an early stage.

These abnormalities do not necessarily lead to cancer, but a colposcopy enables clinicians to biopsy the tissue.

Mrs Meighan, 41, from Pollokshields, previously had cells removed following an abnormal smear test when she was 19.

The mother-of-six - a constituent of former First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon - said she is particularly anxious after missing a number of smear tests while she was busy raising her family.

She said: "They don't know how long my cells have been changing because I've not had a smear for quite a few years.

"I know it sounds silly when I'm panicking now, but my kids were my priority. Five of them are under 10, so it's been hectic.

"Now I can't sleep for worrying. I've had depression in the past, and my anxiety is going through the roof.

"I was trying to get my head round waiting eight weeks - eight weeks felt like a lifetime to me - so when they said 49 weeks, my heart sank.

"I thought I was going to have a panic attack."

READ MORE: Glasgow smear test uptake among lowest in UK

Mrs Meighan - who helped to care for a close friend who was diagnosed with cervical cancer following a smear test aged 37 - said the result came "out of the blue" after she attended for a routine cervical screen in January, but did not receive a letter confirming the results until April.

"It gave me a fright because I wasn't expecting it - I assumed everything was fine," said Mrs Meighan.

"It took me back to where my friend was and I'm thinking 'am I going to be like that?', because she'd had abnormal cells removed when she was 19 as well.

"She's okay now - she had chemotherapy and she survived - but she was seen straightaway."

Glasgow Times: Cervical screening is routinely offered every five years in Scotland between the ages of 25 and 64Cervical screening is routinely offered every five years in Scotland between the ages of 25 and 64 (Image: PA)

It comes after a string of bereavements over the past year, including the loss of her 11-year-old niece and two close friends to cancer.

She contacted her GP to raise concerns about bleeding and a "niggling pain" in her lower back and side.

She has also dropped from a size 12 to a size 6-8 since giving birth to her son a year ago.

Her GP has tried, without success, to accelerate her colposcopy.

Mrs Meighan said: "It's not like me to lose this amount of weight, and I'm bleeding all the time now. I know my body and I know something isn't right - it's scary.

"They talk about wanting us to go for smears, they're drumming it into us, but then leaving people to wait for 49 weeks. That's not good enough.

"I've got six children to look after and I don't know how far this has gone, it terrifies me."

READ MORE: Disabled Glasgow woman shares 'traumatic' smear experience

In a statement, NHS GGC said it is completing urgent assessments within two to four weeks, but blamed delays for other patients on "an increased referral rate coupled with an existing backlog created by Covid-19 in relation to capacity over an extended period"

It said: “We regret we have longer than usual waiting times for routine colposcopy assessment following screening and we apologise to any patient for any additional anxiety or distress this has caused them. 

“We can confirm the current waiting time for a routine assessment is 47 weeks and this expected to reduce to 40 weeks through the summer. Further reduction is expected into next year.” 

Samantha Dixon, CEO of Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust: “Such long waits are not acceptable.

"That burden of uncertainty can take a huge emotional and mental toil on the women waiting for a colposcopy appointment and should not be underestimated.

"We would urge that NHS GGC takes every action to ensure a return to national timeframes for colposcopy services as soon as possible.”