M'daue joins battle vs cervical cancer

CEBU, Philippines - Mandaue City is determined to raise the quality of life of its women beginning with 117 government workers.

It was learned that the lives of 12 Filipinas are claimed by cervical cancer everyday. This ailment continues to be the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women here in the Philippines, or next to breast cancer.

Since there is hope with the availability of screening procedures like Pap smear and the affordability now of vaccines, Mandaue City partners with Bravehearts Foundation to heighten awareness as well as with GlaxoSmithKline, provider of vaccines tested to offer 70 percent protection against HPV (human papillomavirus).

In a presscon last November 16, Bravehearts president and 1997 Bb. Pilipinas Universe Abbygale Arenas along with Mrs. Sarah Cortes, wife of Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes; Dr. Belinda Pañares, regional director of POGS (Philippine Obstetrics Gynecology Society); city health officer Dr. Edna Seno; and Ms. Zeena Abellanoza, GSK-Philippines regional business manager for vaccines presented how women can invest in certain procedures that would bring them to the peak of health, and how men can provide support to women in this collective battle against an “already - and very much - preventable disease.”

“Seventy percent is already too high. A lot better than nothing compared to the past decades. Daghan ang nag-suffer, nya pwede man diay nato ma-prevent,” Mrs. Cortes said.

“Being in the peak of health is one of the most precious things people can have in their lives. And by providing our women workers the best defense against cervical cancer, the City of Mandaue is giving them a chance to a life free from the burden of the fatal female disease where men should take full participation also being probable carriers of the human papillomavirus (HPV),” this according to Cortes in line with Mandaue’s Cervical Cancer Program.

As for Arenas, her dedication in raising awareness and prevention stems from the knowledge that cervical cancer is the most preventable of cancers with the availability of regular screening and vaccination. “I took on this advocacy because I share in the knowledge that every woman is at risk of cervical cancer. The risk is high for those who started early on with sexual activity, however even the inactive ones are prone to it because the cause is a virus. Like most viruses, HPV spares no one. It may not be directly involved with coital activity, but the virus thrives in shared bathing suits, towels, clothing, etc. But not so many people are aware of this. Even in the administration of vaccines, we still need to educate mothers that their daughters as young as 10 can avail of it. And those 40 and beyond who haven’t had sex are not even spared from the disease.”

Dr. Pañares affirmed this. “Basta naay cervix, pwede mataptan, madato’g mapobre. Walay gipili. It doesn’t even mean nga kon wa kay sexual activity, safe ka. Kay even the rubbing of infected materials can pass on the HPV.”

Arenas, in partnership with other cervical cancer advocates, have been spearheading various disease awareness initiatives such as the Tour of Hope bike tour. This annual bike tour which has been conducted since 2008 has been influential in spreading the word on cervical cancer and informed choices for women and their partner.

Cervical cancer: What you should know and do about it

In a presentation, it was further learned that from all over the world, a woman dies from cervical cancer every two minutes. Without prevention, the next casualties could be either me or you or the women closest to our lives. Worldwide, cervical cancer kills one woman every two minutes. Twelve Filipinas die of cervical cancer everyday, being the second biggest cause of female cancer mortality in the Philippines.

That’s why the World Health Organization, the Bravehearts Foundation, the local government of Mandaue, and POGS encourage all women to be “in the know.” Awareness on the dangers posed by cervical cancer as well as on the effective strategies for its prevention may well save the “last two minutes of a woman’s life.”

With sufficient awareness, surveillance, advocacy and prevention, the next two minutes won’t have to be the last for anybody, especially for that woman we hate to lose!

HPV: The virus behind

 cervical cancer

WHO informed that there are about 100 known types of HPV, of which 15 can cause cervical cancer. HPV types 16 and 18 are the most cancer-causing virus types and account for 70 percent of all cervical cancer cases worlwide. Women can have an HPV infection regardless of age and lifestyle. Aside from engaging in sexual intercourse, one can also get HPV from skin-to-skin contact (rubbing) of genitals even without sexual penetration. One can also get it from prolonged exposure and direct contact with objects or materials that carry the infection such as towels, clothing, and the like. Most HPV infections heal on their own, but this doesn’t apply to all cases. When an HPV infection persists, it could develop into cervical cancer.

Prevention through SVA, cryotherapy and vaccination

Drs. Pañares and Seno enlightened that there are three possible ways so cervical cancer can be prevented – true to the wisdom of the ages that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

SVA stands for Single Visit Approach. This combines both screening and treatment in one session. It uses an effective, low-resource screening method called the Visual Inspection using Acetic Acid (VIA). This has something to do with a simple technique that uses vinegar to detect precancerous lesions on the cervix.

Cryotherapy, meanwhile, is a process where the areas with lesions are frozen using a common liquid coolant like carbon dioxide, effectively eliminating the abnormality and preventing possible progression to cancer.

As for vaccination, there are now vaccines available against HPV. Along with regular screening, getting vaccinated can reduce the risk of developing cervical cancer by 94 percent. Although, Abellanoza of GSK admitted that there is no such thing as 100-percent guarantee the woman would be totally free from cervical cancer. There is just the nine-year study conducted by GSK that these vaccines prevent 14 of the 15 types. The vaccines administered to around 500,000 women of the targetted 100 million showed a 61-percent efficiency rate in a three-year program coupled with constant monitoring and eventual changes in lifestyle patterns of women. This means complete turnaround when dealing with relationships (or sticking to one partner only), having to quit smoking, and relaxing from stressful activities that decrease functionality of the immune system. Remember that a low immune system triggers proliferation of carcinogenic cells and viruses as potent as HPV.

Arenas stressed that as a mother, she would want to enjoy a prolonged, healthy life to be able to watch her 10-year-old son grow to a fine man. “Siyempre, we have to raise the quality of women’s life a bar higher. Gusto pa natin na makita ang mga anak natin na makapagtapos ng pag-aaral. For me, I would want to be with my son longer pa, meet his girlfriend, witness them marry, then enjoy moments with my apo. To be able to achieve that, we have to crush out cervical cancer which certainly is a big threat.”

Vaccines cost P2,500 for every shot (zero, one, and three months) and may be readily available even to highly marginalized women if only every local government unit has the political will to get involved in this campaign. Price reduction posts 72 percent from what used to be P9,000 per shot.