Cervical cancer, stop being afraid, stop being embarrassed, get screened found late, very risky
It is believed that having good health will promote more freedom in living the way you want. According to the concept of the Freedom to be project, Roche Diagnostics Asia Pacific Co., Ltd. therefore organizes 3 activities during the month of March. to join the campaign for Thai women to take care of their health
1) Disclosure of the results of the Women’s Health in APAC Survey which studied 3,320 women from 8 countries in Asia Pacific including Thailand (320 Thai women) at the end of 2022.
2) Organized a Journalist Master Class event, inviting expert obstetricians and journalists from across Asia Pacific to share their experiences on inequality and disparity in the healthcare system in Asia Pacific. Ready to brainstorm ideas and suggest public relations guidelines for women in their own countries to have knowledge, understanding, and have the opportunity to access more women’s health check-ups.
and 3) exclusive interview Asst. Prof. Nattawut Kantawut, M.D. Obstetrician, Gynecologic Oncology Specialist Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology Chulabhorn Hospital Sriswangkhawattana College of Medicine Chulabhorn Royal College In the issue of “Women’s Health in Thailand – What Can Be Done to Provide Better Care for Women to Achieve Elimination of Cervical Cancer: Looking Back to Find a Way to Conquer Cervical Cancer Eradication in Thailand”, hoping to raise awareness among women regarding the importance of cervical cancer. Importance of cervical cancer screening to eradicate cervical cancer from Thailand
For activity number 3, there are interesting issues. Prof. Dr. Nuttawut said that at present, cervical cancer is the fifth most common occurrence in Thai women following breast cancer. colon and rectum cancer Liver and bile duct cancer and lung cancer with 9,158 new cases of cervical cancer found per year and approximately 4,705 deaths.
Because cervical cancer is often detected, it will be found in stage 2 and stage 3 quite a lot, showing that Thai women have not yet given importance to internal examination. And often only get checked when there are signs of danger It may be too late to be cured.
This is in line with the results of the Women’s Health in APAC Survey among 320 Thai women through a digital survey at the end of 2022, which found that although 61% of Thai women thought they were quite knowledgeable. Understanding of cervical cancer, but still 39% have very little knowledge of the disease.
while 66% of Thai women Confidence in accessing appropriate and convenient cervical cancer screening, including 83% of Thai women think they are confident that they will receive treatment. If the patient has cervical cancer
“Cervical cancer is a preventable cancer. Because it’s not genetic. It is caused by infection with HPV (Human Papilloma Virus). There are more than 100 types of HPV, but 14 are at high risk of developing cervical cancer.
Sexually active women should be screened at age 25 or 5 years following having sex for the first time. because having sex only once may be at risk of infection Once exposed to the HPV virus, it can develop into cancer in regarding 5-10 years.
If detected in stage 1, there is a 90 percent chance of survival, but if detected in stage 3, there is a 50-50 chance of survival. Therefore, if high-risk HPV is detected early from the onset of infection, treatment can be performed. Resulting in reducing the risk of developing cervical cancer, ”Asst. Prof. Dr. Nuttawut said.
Currently, there is a campaign to use the HPV DNA Test, which uses modern technology to detect the DNA level to find high-risk HPV types. To identify the risk of cancer or pre-cancerous conditions in women The doctor will collect samples. and use efficient tools in the laboratory To identify high-risk HPV directly from HPV DNA It has a sensitivity of 92% in detecting the disease and can have a gap of up to 5 years if no infection is detected.
“For some women who are anxious, afraid of pain, especially women who have never had sex before. The doctor will select the appropriate size of the internal examination instrument. As for those who are embarrassed by the doctor Currently, there is a method for testing HPV DNA Self-sampling. Manual sampling
No pain, more than 90% sensitivity in detecting disease, not different from a doctor’s examination This method can be requested in the hospital. After collecting samples, they will be brought to the staff to send to the lab for further analysis.
As for the group who refused to be tested because they were afraid they would find out that they had cervical cancer. fear of the treatment I would like to see that the internal examination is normal like an annual physical examination. Especially women who have sex should come to check. Because cervical cancer can be detected in many stages. Since the discovery of HPV, abnormal cells were detected.
Precancerous cervical cancer is asymptomatic. But when the cervical lesion occurs or form a lump There will be abnormal vaginal bleeding. Bleeding following intercourse which, when examined internally, will see a lump that is clearly cancerous therefore do not want to meet at this stage
Don’t wait until symptoms appear. Should undergo screening because if the infection is found early, it can reduce the risk of developing cervical cancer, ”Asst. Prof. Dr. Nuttawut said.
