MANILA, Philippines -- Every eight minutes, a woman dies of cervical cancer in the Philippines and the data has alarmingly remained the same for over 30 years, a medical expert said Thursday.
Research shows that cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the Philippines, next to breast cancer, with 52 percent of those afflicted to die within five years of diagnosis. However, this type of cancer, sustained when attacked by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), is highly curable as long as it is detected early.
And for this, members and volunteers of the Cervical Cancer Prevention Network (CECAP) will start going around the country through the "Tour of Hope," a cycling for a cause project that aims to raise awareness and early detection for the disease, said Dr. Cecilia Llave, chairperson of the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital Cancer Institute.
The 500-kilometer cycling tour will cover Vigan to Subic Bay from September 13-17. And at each stop, volunteer doctors and nurses will carry out lectures about cervical cancer prevention. Proceeds from the program will also be donated to the Cancer Institute Foundation which aims to fund cervical cancer screenings in communities, said Llave.
The event is also a project of Bravehearts, GlaxoSmithKline Philippines, Campaigns PR INC, said Llave.
Llave said since cervical cancer was not easily detected and rarely showed symptoms, women must undergo pap smear to ensure that they were not afflicted with the illness.
Conventional pap smear, which usually costs P100 at government hospitals is however only 50 percent accurate compared to liquid-based pap smear, which costs about P2,080 to P3,500.
Llave said conventional pap smear, which constitutes samples from a cotton swab, might not be able to deliver a sample of a cancer cell unlike the liquid-based pap smear.
During the cycling tour, Llave said they would also execute the Single Visit Approach or SVA, an on-the-spot screening and treatment using Acetic Acid.
Llave said this type of cancer could be prevented through a healthy lifestyle, which would entail proper nutrition and enough sleep to strengthen the immune system.
