Medical experts have attributed the rising cases of cervical cancer in Nigeria to women poor response of Pap smear – test done to know if they are at risk of cervical cancer.
The experts call the government to create more awareness, saying that misconception a fear factor has led to the rise of disease in the country. They added that Nigeria needs adequate funding to combat cancer.
“Most women in Nigeria lack the knowledge of how and why they need to do Pap smear test. There is poor response to Pap smear in the country,” said Habeebu Muhammad, head of the department of Oncology at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).
“There is a whole lot of fear factor in our country because most people do not allow screening due to their religious beliefs.
“It is better to come for check-up because early detection increases the chances of survival and there is so much that can be done to prevent or cure it,” Muhammad advised.
Yearly, January is set aside for cervical cancer awareness and about 14,089 new cervical cancer cases are diagnosed annually in Nigeria according to the World Health Organisation.
This is why the international organisation has ranked the disease as the second leading cause of female cancer in Nigeria and most common in women between ages 15 to 44 years.
Cervical cancer originates from uterine cervix and the neck of the womb, which is located at the lower end of the uterus extending into the upper part of the vagina.
In later stages, symptoms include: heavy vaginal bleeding or discharge (more than usual), bleeding after sex, between periods or after a pelvic exam, pain during sex or urination.
Bindiya Sadarangani, centre director at Lakeshore Cancer Centre said cervical cancer is largely undetectable because of the location of the cervix which is internal, at the mouth of the womb.
“We are encouraging women to undergo screen because it is one of the cancers that can be screened by doing a Pap smear test. It is also easily treated once it is found. The test is done every three years,” Sadarangan said.
She explains that cervical cancer is linked to Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which is one the main risk factor for developing the disease. The Human papillomavirus (HPV) test detects the cancerous cells and HPV vaccine protects against the types of HVP that most often cause cancer.
She added that there is a preventable arm to that which involves getting people between the ages of 9 to 26 to get the vaccine just like the immunisation given to babies, noting that giving the younger people before they become sexually active would help in curtailing the disease.
“We want to encourage the parent to make sure their children gets vaccinated before they become sexually active and for women who are not sexually active to go get it as well,” Sadarangani said.
However, Runcie Chidebe, executive director, Project PINK BLUE, a Health and Psychological Trust Centre (HPTC) in Abuja, said any woman can get cervical cancer, but some women are at higher risk because of factors such as having the HPV, not getting screened, smoking, multiple sex partners and age.
“The high mortality of the disease in Nigeria is due to late diagnosis, lack of awareness, low utilization of screening services, lack of knowledge and suggestive symptoms.
“There is no systematic screenings program in Nigeria. What we have is sporadic screenings, where non-governmental organisations (NGOs) organise here and there.
“There is a need for the Federal Government to mandate that all Public Health Centre( PHC) through the State Levels to ensure that once a woman comes into any PHC, she must go for cervical cancer screening like Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid ”Chidebe further said.
ANTHONIA OBOKOH
