Benjamin Omoike l Sunday, December 11, 2016
LAGOS, Nigeria – A medical expert, Yetunde Sanni, of the George Kerry Life Foundation, has said cervical cancer– being the second deadliest cancer after breast cancer- kills one woman every hour in Nigeria. Sadly, she said, this could be nipped in the bud, but for lack of adequate information on the part of infected women.
The Laboratory Scientist, who spoke at a sensitisation programme in Lagos recently, is of the opinion that the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which is responsible for the infection, is the commonest sexually transmitted virus in the world. She says 80 per cent of sexually active adults are exposed to this disease.
“Cervical cancer could be transmitted by sexual contact and by skin-to-skin contact. The incubation period is between five to 30 years and in most cases, it gives no sign till it’s too late. It occurs most commonly in women over the age of 30 and is the second most frequent cancer among women in Nigeria after breast cancer, with an estimated 10,000 women dying of cervical cancer annually.
“The cancer is caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). HPV is transmitted through sex, and it can cause an infection in the cervix (the neck of the womb).
“The infection usually doesn’t last very long because your body can normally fight it, but an HPV infection can change cervix cells into pre-cancer cells. Most cells with early pre-cancer changes go back to normal on their own and if detected can be treated. But if they are not found and treated, the pre-cancer cells can lead to cancer,” she said.
She stressed that some of the early signs to look out for include; foul smelly vaginal discharge, vaginal bleeding in between periods, weight loss, waist pain, back pain and painful sex. She maintained that since it is difficult to discover if a person is infected or not, abstinence (for the unmarried) remained the best preventive method. She added that vaccination and annual cervical screening were also steps in the right direction, maintaining that of all cancers, cervical cancer remains the only preventable one. She thus said, this being the case, it is painful to see many women lose their lives due to ignorance in this matter.
Sanni said going for screening periodically could lead to early detection and prompt treatment; which has proven overtime to save many lives.
“Cervical cancer screening is a method of preventing cancer by detecting and treating early abnormalities. Early detection and treatment can prevent 75 per cent of cancers developing but, like other screening tests, it is not perfect. Early detection through screening and treatment of pre-cancerous lesions remains the best possible protection against cervical cancer.
“Evidence shows that utilization of screening for prevention is very poor in Nigeria. A summary from the Colposcopy unit in the antenatal clinic at the University College, Ibadan, showed that only about 3,000 women were screened in the three year period from 2005-2007. If a woman tests positive, Cyrotherapy is carried out. Today, there are only four functional radiotherapy machines in Nigeria, and they are in four of the teaching hospitals in Lagos, Ibadan Zaria and Kaduna,” she said.
