Cervical cancer is ranked second among the most
common and most lethal cancer among women. Although this type of cancer is
highly preventable, it is still the leading cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide.
It is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among women in resource-poor
settings likely due to the widespread infection with high-risk strains of human
papilloma virus and limited utilization of or access to cervical cancer screening
in many nations worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, nearly
500,000 cases of cervical cancer are expected worldwide, with approximately
240,000 deaths annually.
In the Philippines, 6,000
women are diagnosed with cervical cancer annually, more than half of them will
die in five years. Twelve women die from cervical cancer everyday despite of it
being a preventable disease through screening and vaccination. Women with
cervical cancer are not identified until they are at an advanced stage of
disease, resulting in high morbidity and mortality.ervical cancer is
potentially preventable, and effective screening programs can lead to
significant reduction in the morbidity and mortality associated with cancer.
In year 2005, the Department of Health introduced VIA
training in the Philippines. In the same year, DOH emphasized the importance of
screening through the establishment of the Cervical Cancer Screening Program
through the issuance of DOH Administrative Order No.2005-0006 which adopted
visual inspection with acetic acid wash (VIA) as the screening method of choice
for cervical cancer in the Philippines and shall be established at rural health
units, district hospitals and provincial hospitals with no pap smear
capability. However, due to the cost of the
training, only limited VIA training and testing were made available, only to
selected number of hospitals and few rural health
units.
Because of the Philippines geographic limitation,
despite enormous efforts in developing health programs towards screening and
prevention of cervical cancer, rural areas have difficulties implementing such.
Many factors contribute to this which include limited access to training, lack
of conventional cytology facilities and expertise, lack of treatment
facilities, lack of patient’s compliance, lack of knowledge among women on
symptoms associated with cervical cancer and a fatalistic attitude toward
cancer in general.
In an effort therefore to help minimize, the growing
risk of dying from the disease affecting women, Team Venus together with Public
Health Midwife, Ms. Ann Hechanova, conducted a Cervical Awareness Day in Venus
covered court. It was attended by eager female community residents. The lecture included anatomy of the cervix, epidemiology
of cervical cancer, magnitude and risk factors of the disease, it signs and
symptoms, misconceptions about cervical cancer screening, introduction to
visual inspection of the cervix with 4% acetic acid (VIA), patient preparation
before VIA, procedure and guidelines of VIA and anti-HPV vaccination. It was a
very successful event. Indeed providing facts and knowledge to the people in
the community may raise their awareness and even improve their practices on
their health seeking behavior.
