For many long term conditions such as cancer, the sooner the disease is discovered and diagnosed, the less intensive the treatments must be to stop the disease from spreading and intensifying.

This is what makes uterine cancer screening so important, as it looks for cancer before a person has symptoms, which could be a sign that the cancer has spread.

There are two main types of cancer that are checked for with screening. Endometrial cancer, or cancer of the uterine lining, is the most common type, whilst uterine sarcoma, a cancer of the muscles and supportive tissues, is only seen in 5 per cent of uterine cancer cases.

Screening for uterine cancer is complex, and studies are taking place to find the most effective way to screen for cancer.

If symptoms such as unusual bleeding or pelvic pain are found, then a doctor will use a range of diagnostic tools to find the cause of the symptoms. For people who are considered at high risk, these tests may be undertaken to check someone without symptoms.

The two main tests that are undertaken are an endometrial biopsy or a transvaginal ultrasound. The former is where a small sample of body tissue is taken and examined in a lab to look for abnormalities, typically using a tool called a hysteroscope.

An ultrasound, on the other hand, is where high-frequency sound waves are used to create an image of the inside of your body, which a doctor can use to identify tumours and abnormal growths.