LAHORE: Terming early detection and treatment of cervical cancer vital, Consultant in Clinical & Radiation Oncology at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Dr Tabinda Sadaf said on Monday that the disease is treatable and curable through proper treatment which involves surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy depending the stage of cancer.

While the month of January is marked as “Cervical Cancer Awareness Month,” Dr Tabinda Sadaf said, “We can save lives of thousands of women in Pakistan by prevention, early detection and treatment of cervical cancer, which is one of the very few cancers that can be prevented if women get vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV). Cervical cancer develops in a woman’s cervix (the entrance to the womb) and is mostly caused by different types of HPV. These types of viruses are considered to cause the cervical cells to grow uncontrollably and develop into cancerous cells.”

Commenting on the situation in Pakistan, Dr Tabinda said that the country has a population of 68.6 million women aged15 and above who are at risk of developing Cervical cancer. The morbidity and mortality rates for this type of cancer are very high, as the disease is ignored in terms of screening, prevention and vaccination, resulting in patients reporting at very advanced stages of malignancy.

Dr Tabinda further said that girls above the age of 12 should get vaccinated against HPV and protect themselves from this disease. For older women, regular screening is the best way to identify abnormal changes in the cells of the cervix at an early stage, she added.

According to her, women should not lose hope, if diagnosed with Cervical cancer. “We need to raise awareness amongst women about the importance of HPV vaccination, regular screening and the need to make treatment accessible to all patients if we hope to achieve the goal of eliminating this cancer in Pakistan,” she added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022