Preventing cervical cancer

By Ojia Adamolekun

May 25, 2010 01:43AM

The cervix is part of a woman's reproductive system located in the pelvis. The cervix is the lower, narrow part of the uterus (womb). It connects the uterus to the vagina. During a menstrual period, blood flows from the uterus through the cervix into the vagina. The vagina leads to the outside of the body.

Cancer begins in cells, the building blocks that make up tissues. Tissues make up the organs of the body. Normal cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. When normal cells grow old or get damaged, they die, and new cells take their place. Sometimes, this process goes wrong. New cells form when the body does not need them, and old or damaged cells do not die as they should. The buildup of extra cells often forms a mass of tissue called a growth or tumor.

Cancer of the cervix is caused by the human papillomavirus. The prevention of cervical cancer can be broken down into primary, secondary, and tertiary preventions. Cancer of the cervix is most prevalent in women between the ages of 18 - 65.

The primary prevention basically deals with the education of young girls about early sex, protected sex, vesico-vaginal fistula (VVF), HIV, and personal hygiene. These lectures and conferences should be given at different intervals so as to ensure proper understanding. The secondary prevention is basically about the tests that can be done to screen for this cancer. The Pap Smear is the most common of these screenings and should be done once every year for 3 years and if the result is negative, it should be continued once every 3 years.

In many cases, the HPV test is also recommended as a useful addition to the Pap Smear. The tertiary prevention happens only when a Pap Smear is positive. Identification of the cancer at the earliest stages and treatments should begin immediately to prevent further spread of the cancer.

Early detection is also crucial in combating cervical cancer. In the last few years, there have been some phenomenal improvements in screening technology due to the development of low cost DNA tests aimed at detecting the HPV virus.

Research suggests that even if women in developing countries had access to just one screening in their life-time, it could reduce their risk of cervical cancer by a third.

In March 2009, health ministers from African nations, African doctors, and advisors, the World Health Organization, representatives from the pharmaceutical industry, leading international oncologists, and major global cancer organisations and charities met at St. Catherine's College, Oxford, for the ‘Towards Prevention of Cervical Cancer in Africa' conference.

At the end of the meeting, the delegates signed the Oxford Declaration committing, for the first time, to global cooperation to eradicate cervical cancer in Africa.

Courtesy http://www.afrox.org

Source: http://234next.com