It is a preventable disease and also curable if detected early and treated appropriately. Cervical cancer, fourth most common cancer in women worldwide , now has a sworn enemy:the World Health Organization.
On November 17, 2020, 194 countries pledged, under the leadership of the World Health Organization (WHO), to fight cervical cancer. This global strategy, the first of its kind aimed at defeating cancer, is based on three axes:vaccination, screening and treatment.
“The enormous burden of cervical cancer mortality is the result of decades of neglect by the global health community. However, the scenario can be rewritten, said WHO Assistant Director General Dr Princess Nothemba Simelela.
If nothing is done, the WHO estimates that the number of cases of cervical cancer will increase from 570,000 to 700,000 per year by 2030, and the annual number of deaths associated with this disease, from 310,000 to 400,000. A scourge therefore caused, let us remember, by the human papillomavirus (HPV).
If to date, the three key tools against this cancer (vaccination, screening and treatment) have been generalized in most rich countries, the situation is far from being the same in the rest of the world , particularly due to the high cost of the vaccine.
Thus, to stem the progression of cervical cancer, the World Health Organization proposes three objectives to be achieved by 2030:
If these measures are successfully implemented by 2030, new cases of the disease could be reduced by more than 40% and the number of deaths related to the disease by 5 million by 2050.
All countries will then be on track to eliminate this cancer, according to the WHO. The UN agency is aware, however, that the strategy is launched in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, which jeopardizes the prevention of cancer deaths given the interruption of vaccination services. But “ we can make history to ensure a future without cervical cancer. ” , assured Ms. Simelela.
The most effective prevention against the onset of uterine cancer is to combine regular Pap smear screenings with vaccination.
Cervical cancer can develop without showing any clinical signs, hence the importance of regular screening tests. In other cases, symptoms such as light bleeding outside the period of menstruation or after menopause should alert. Screening is done by smearing the cervix (cervico-uterine smear).
This painless and quick examination can be performed by a gynecologist or the attending physician. It makes it possible to collect a few cells which will be analyzed in the laboratory. The scan will look for the presence of abnormal or cancerous cells. The smear must be carried out outside the menstrual period. If the smear is positive, further tests will be done. In addition to the gynecological examination, tissues are taken by biopsy or by conization for an anatomopathologic analysis. Imaging tests (ultrasound, scanner or MRI) are also used to precisely determine the stage of tumor development.
