HUNDREDS of people turned out yesterday to mourn the woman who died of cervical cancer after being denied a smear because she was deemed “too young”.

Sunderland University graduate Amber Rose Cliff died at the age of 25 earlier this month, four months after being diagnosed.

But her devastated family say she had been exhibiting symptoms of cancer from the age of 18. They are convinced that if she had been given the smear test when she first went to the doctors, the disease would have been detected and she would at least have stood a fighting chance.

They say that Amber repeatedly asked for a test on the NHS but didn’t receive one, as they aren’t available to women under the age of 25. They eventually paid for a private test when she was 21 and she was diagnosed with cancer.

Her family is fighting to create Amber’s Law, a change in policy which would give women under 25 the option to get screened on the NHS. To show your support, sign the petition by searching “cervical cancer” at change.org Health experts argue, however, that screening can do more harm than good. This is because cervical changes that screening detects in younger women tend to clear up by themselves and are less likely to develop into cancer, so screening may lead to unnecessary tests and treatment, but the NHS does advise women of any age to seek advice from their GP if they experience symptoms such as abdominal pain or unusual or unexpected bleeding.

What is not in doubt is that detecting cervical cancer early makes chances of a recovery high. Screening saves about 4,500 lives a year in England, but the latest figures also show at least one in every four women invited for cervical cancer screening fail to attend.

In memory of Amber, it is so important that women take up the opportunity to be screened so that more lives can be saved.