Due to 'overwhelming' demand, pop-up pap test clinics to become more frequent at St. Joseph's Hospital in London, Ont.

Due to tremendous demand from the community, St. Joseph's Healthcare says it will be offering pop-up pap tests more frequently.

Nearly 200 women turned out for pap tests during a trial run of the first two clinics earlier this year, revealing a significant gap in care in London.

"The response we had was overwhelming that first day that we did it again and in May, and we still got an overwhelming response. So, we've decided at this point that this is probably something we should do on a regular basis," explained Dr. Robert Di Cecco, medical director of the Colposcopy Clinic.

Most of those coming to the clinics did not have a family doctor and almost all patients had missed out on the screening for five to as long as 15 years.

Mother of two, Tiffany Lukas said she knows firsthand the importance of a routine physical and pap test.

"The regular screening saved my life because the cone biopsy helped to remove the cancer. Had I waited any longer to get that that procedure done, then I could have had a lot bigger problem on my hands," said Lukas.

A half-day clinic from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. will now be held two to three times a year here at St. Joseph's Hospital, beginning this Friday, Nov. 1. No appointment or referral is necessary.

Dr. Di Cecco stresses the significance of keeping up with pap smear testing and getting the HPV vaccine, which has been around for nearly 15 years.

"It's extremely important, the novelty of this particular test is that it doesn't pick up a cancer, but it identifies a risk that we're able to modify with very, very simple procedures and hopefully prevent somebody from actually developing a cancer of the cervix", added Dr. De Cecco.

According to the hospital, 1,550 Canadians are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 400 will die from it each year. Yet cervical cancer can most often be prevented with regular cervical screenings and follow-ups of abnormal results.