More sex partners mean higher risk of cervical cancer

The greater the number of sexual partners a woman has and the greater the number of partners that a woman's partners have had, the greater also are the chances of her acquiring the human papilloma virus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection, which can cause cervical cancer.

Aside from having multiple sex partners, Dr. Evangeline Mercader, a gynecologist-oncologist in Cebu, said that having first sexual intercourse before age 18 also increases the risk of HPV. Immature cells seem to be more susceptible to the pre-cancerous changes that HPV can cause, she said.

Mercader pointed out that if one has suffered other sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis or HIV/AIDS, she has a greater chance of having been exposed to the virus.

Aside from this, cigarette use increases the risk of pre-cancerous changes as well as cancer of the cervix.

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers that affect a woman's reproductive organs. Various strains of the HPV are responsible for the majority of cervical cancer cases.

The virus survives for years before it eventually converts some cells on the surface of the cervix into cancer cells. Half of cervical cancer cases occur in women between the ages of 35 and 55, she said.

Further, Mercader said that according to statistics there are about 500,000 new cases of cervical cancer in the country. In the most recent data of the Eduardo Aboitiz Cancer Center, there are about 38 cases of cervical cancer in Cebu.

Mercader said that some of the signs and symptoms of cervical cancer is bleeding of the vagina after intercourse, between periods or after menopause; watery, bloody vaginal discharge that may be heavy and have a foul odor; and pelvic pain or pain during sexual intercourse.

To prevent cervical cancer, Mercader said that it is important that one should undergo screening. Since its introduction until now, the bedrock for cervical cancer prevention and monitoring pre-cancerous lesions has been the Pap smear test, which is commonly used in today's screening program.

During a Pap smear test, the doctor brushes cells from the cervix, which is the narrow neck of the uterus, smears them onto a glass slide and sends the slide to a lab. A technician called a cytotechnologist examines the slide for abnormal cells. A doctor who specializes in cellular abnormalities or a pathologist further reviews slides that contain abnormal cells before making a final diagnosis.

The doctor may also use a laboratory test called the HPV-DNA test to determine whether one is infected with any of the 13 types of HPV that are most likely to lead to cervical cancer. Like the Pap smear test, the HPV-DNA test involves collecting cells from the cervix for laboratory testing. It can detect high-risk strains of HPV in cell DNA before changes of the cells of the cervix can be seen.

The HPV-DNA test is not a substitute for regular Pap screening, and it's not used to screen women younger than 30 with normal Pap results. Most HPV infections in women of this age group clear up on their own and aren't associated with cervical cancer.

Aside from tests, a vaccine is now also introduced in the market targeting HPV 16 and HPV 18 and has the potential to prevent 70 percent of cervical cancers.

GlaxoSmithKline's cervical cancer vaccine showed 100 percent efficacy over 4.5 years against pre-cancerous lesions associated with HPV types 16 and 18, the two most common cancer-causing HPV types, this according to a new follow-up study.

HPV 16 and 18 are said to be responsible for more than 70 percent of cervical cancers globally.

GSK's candidate vaccine for cervical cancer is formulated with the proprietary innovative adjuvant system AS04 selected to ensure this vaccine confers strong and sustained antibody levels in women. - Jasmin R. Uy