MANILA, Philippines ? Free cervical cancer screenings were held simultaneously in Metro Manila in celebration of the Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. But unlike past screenings, this one incorporated the single-visit approach.

?Patients, especially the masses who worry about so many other things on top of their health, often do not come back to get the results of their checkups. With the single-visit approach, they get results and treatment on the same day,? said Doctor Rey de los Reyes, president of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists of the Philippines (SGOP).

The single-visit approach includes a visual inspection of the cervix with acetic wash and cryotherapy. Biopsy is also performed if needed, Delos Reyes said.

The free screening was sponsored by Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD), SGOP and Cancer Resource and Wellness (Carewell) Community with the Department of Health (DoH). Hundreds of women between 15-45 years of age were screened in selected DoH-retained hospitals in Metro Manila, La Union, Pangasinan, Cebu and Davao.

Top killer

Twelve Filipinas die every day from cervical cancer. This remains as the top killer among reproductive organ cancers in Filipina women, he said, with a survival rate of only 53 percent after diagnosis. The saddest part is, cervical cancer is a preventable disease, De Los Reyes said.

Like most cancers, cervical cancer does not manifest alarming symptoms at its early stage. Women generally report of a discharge that can easily be misinterpreted as normal, De Los Reyes said. Another common early symptom is post-coital bleeding. Since tumors are very sensitive, bleeding occurs easily upon contact.

Cervical cancer takes a long time to manifest, De Los Reyes said. It takes about 20 years after getting HPV before it manifests into cervical cancer. Thus, a sexual encounter in the 20s could cause cervical cancer by the time a woman is in her 40s, he said.

The peak age for cervical cancer manifestation is between 45-55 years old but incidences start to rise at 35, he said.

Cancer screening, such as pap smear, is very important for sexually active women. These high-risk women must have themselves checked once a year, while low-risk women, every two to three years.

?Many of the casualties of cervical cancer are from the poor sectors of the country. Lack of information is to blame,? De Los Reyes said.

Pap smear costs around P150 in public hospitals. De Los Reyes said it?s a question of priority for many of these women. ?They can easily have their nails manicured every so often, but choose to postpone or ignore things that involve their health,? he said.

Because of the prohibitive costs of cancer treatment, only 50 percent of cancer patients actually complete a whole treatment cycle. The underprivileged women do not even bother to seek treatment.

There are two available cervical cancer vaccinations in the market today. One, for ages 9-45, covers HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18. HPV types 6 and 11 are for genital warts; while 16 and 18, for cervical cancer, De Los Reyes said.

Another vaccination against HPV types 16 and 18 covers women ranging from 9-55 years old.

?Cervical cancer is one of the cancers which has the etiology cause identified. The only other one with the cause identified is liver cancer. Have yourself checked and avoid the nightmare of cancer in your later years,? he said.

More information about cervical cancer and HPV can be found at www.mahalagaka.com.