International Women's Day Cebu joins drive vs cervical cancer

CEBU, Philippines - A campaign to prevent cervical cancer highlighted the celebration of International Women’s Day in Cebu City yesterday.

Dr. Belinda Pañares, chairman of the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society in Region 7, said that based on studies worldwide, cervical cancer kills a woman every two minutes.

Cervical cancer is the second biggest cause of cancer mortality among women in the country. Studies show 12 Filipinas die of it everyday.

“Imagine the impact it brings to the families of the cancer casualties. For the past several years, we are trying to curb the number of women having cervical cancer by educating the people how it can be prevented,” Pañares said.

The best way to prevent it, Pañares said, is through vaccine. It is the only type of cancer that has a vaccine, the first of which was developed by GlaxoSmithKline.

The vaccine targets HPV 16 and 18, the two most common cancer-causing types of HPV (human papillomavirus). Over 70 percent of all cervical cancer cases worldwide are caused by these types of HPV virus.

HPV can be acquired through sexual intercourse by skin to skin contact of genitals even without sexual penetration or prolonged exposure and direct contact with objects and materials that carry the infection.

Abbygale Arenas, President of the Braveheart Foundation and former Bb. Pilipinas-Universe, said that most of the time, men are the carrier of the virus. This is reportedly the reason why campaign is aggressive for couples to have only one partner.

Women are reportedly exposed to the HPV virus 80 percent of the time.

The vaccine for lifetime prevention from cervical cancer must be taken in three shots. Each shot costs P2,500. Women as early as 12 years old or during the start of menstruation may be vaccinated.

Pañares said P7,500 is nothing compared to the millions a victim may have to spend if the cancer is already on the later stage.

GSK Vice President of Vaccines Derrick Sim said they are working on ways to make the vaccine more affordable. He said that they are also appealing to the government, like the Department of Health or the local government units, to allocate funds for free vaccination. 

Aside from vaccine, women, particularly those who have an active sex life, are advised to undergo Pap smear, reportedly the best way to detect cervical cancer at its early stages.

Pañares said that cervical cancer takes time to fully develop and it is like those cancer diseases with no visible symptoms until it is already in the late stage. –(FREEMAN)