The number of new cases of cervical cancer has fallen by almost 20% in Yorkshire and the Humber in less than five years.

A total of 255 new cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed in the region in 2015, according to the latest NHS data.

That works out a decrease of 18.5% compared to 2011, where there were 313 diagnoses. The year 2015 is the latest one where figures are available.

At the same time, the number of women taking up potentially life-saving cervical screening checks has been increasing.

Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that develops in a woman’s cervix, the lower part of the womb.

One way to detect abnormal cell changes in the cervix that could potentially develop into cervical cancer is through cervical screening. If the screening detects significant abnormalities, women can have treatment to remove them before they become cancerous.

In Yorkshire and the Humber, the percentage of eligible women screened had increased between 2011 and 2015 from 71% to 73.4%.

The NHS send screening invitations every three years to women aged 25 to 49, and every five years to women aged 50 to 64.

Across England, there were 2,517 new cases of cervical cancer in 2015, a stable level compared to five years before when there were 2,511 new cases.

In 2015, 606 women died of cervical cancer, 15% fewer than in 2011 when 781 died.

Since the screening programme was introduced in the 1980s, the number of cervical cancer cases has decreased by about 7% each year.