Doctors warn about cervical cancer

By Desi Nurhayati

Doctors have
warned women to be aware of the risk of cervical cancer, a disease that usually
shows no symptoms but has the highest mortality rate of cancers in Indonesia.

An estimated
20 women die of cervical cancer in Indonesia everyday, and 41 new cases are
diagnosed, according to Yanto Sinaga, an obstetrician and gynecologist from the
Indonesian Cancer Foundation.

“Breast cancer
is the most deadly disease for women in the rest of the world, but in Indonesia
it is second to cervical cancer,” Yanto said in a discussion recently.

Cervical
cancer affects more than 500,000 women worldwide annually, killing half of
them. about 80 percent of women with cervical cancer live in developing
countries, including Indonesia.

The cervix is
the part of the woman’s reproductive system that connects the uterus to the
vagina.

Cervical
cancer is usually caused by human papillomavirus (HPV)m a sexually transmitted
virus.

“Promiscuity
is among risk factors for cervical cancer. Women who have more than six sexual
partners and those who first have sex before the age of 15 are at a higher risk
of infection,” Yanto said.

“A man who has
sex with a woman who carries HPV could pass the virus to another woman, even if
he uses a condom.

He said the
risk for women who used hormonal contraceptive such as contraceptive pills for
more than four years was about one to one-and-a-half times higher than that for
other women.

Women who
smoke, have an insufficient antioxidant intake or a high birth rate are also
among the high-risk groups, he said.

According to
the American Cancer Society, cervical cancer is usually diagnosed in women aged
between 35 and 55 years old, but it can occur at younger ages.

Even though
about 92 percent of cervical cancer cases are asymptomatic, especially in the
early stages, Yanto said women should be aware of certain signs that might
appear.

“Abnormal
vaginal discharges and bleeding during sexual intercourse are some of the
symptoms,” he said.

“In the mid
and late stages, the disease usually causes metabolic disorders because it
affects major organs such as the kidneys and the liver.”

To test for
signs of cervical cancer, the American College of Obstetrician and
Gynecologists recommends an annual pap smear for sexually active women aged 28
years and above.

Pap smears
have helped reduce the incidence and mortality rate of cervical cancer in many
countries.

To conduct a
pap smear, a doctor inserts a speculum into the patient’s vagina to collect a
cell sample from the cervix.

“Unfortunately,
many women in Indonesia are still reluctant to have a pap smear because they
are shy. In many cases, women think it is not necessary to have the test
because there are no symptoms of the disease,” Yanto said.

Immunization
against HPV could prevent the disease, but does not guarantee immunity because
the vaccine currently available cannot fight all types of HPV.

Cited from The
Jakarta Post

Tuesday April 29, 2008

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