Max Hospital organises health talk on cervical cancer at Panchkula School
Author(s): City Air NewsDr Seema Sharma, Sr Consultant, Obstetrics & Gynecology at Max Super Speciality Hospital , Mohali addressing teachers during a health talk on ‘Cervical cancer & other gynaecological problems’ organised by MSSH at...
cityairnews
Jan 27, 2014 12:30
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Dr Seema Sharma, Sr Consultant, Obstetrics & Gynecology at Max Super Speciality Hospital , Mohali addressing teachers during a health talk on ‘Cervical cancer & other gynaecological problems’ organised by MSSH at Blue Bird High School, Panchkula on Monday.
Chandigarh, January 27, 2014: As many as 60 teachers took part in a health talk on ‘Cervical cancer & other gynaecological problems’ organised by Max Super Speciality Hospital (MSSH) , Mohali as part of its outreach programme at Blue Bird High School, Panchkula on Monday.
Addressing teachers, Dr. Seema Sharma, Sr Consultant, Obstetrics & Gynecology, MSSH said that Indian ranked no 1 in cervical cancer deaths in the world. We were at a high risk of developing cervical cancer. In fact, around 10 women die of this cancer every hour in South East Asia, of which 8 of them were from India. Cervical cancer has become the most common cancer among women in India with 1,00,000 new cases reported every year in the country.”
She said cervical cancer was potentially curable if detected early due to its long pre-cancer state that might extend from 7-10 years. It was the best example of cancer prevention. Also the abnormal cells shed from the cervix could be easily picked up during the screening by a Pap smear test.
Explaining the risk factors involved in this kind of cancer, Dr Sharma stated that the chances of getting cervical cancer increased in case of multiple sexual partners, promiscuous partner, early age of first coital experience, early child bearing, prior history of sexually transmitted diseases, long term usage of oral contraceptives, cigarette smoking, immunodeficiency and most importantly viral infection with Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).
“Around 75% people of reproductive age would be infected with HPV at some point in their lives, but a majority of these women would not get cervical cancer due to a gradual development of an effective immune response. Persistent infection occurred when the HPV DNA was not cleared by the immune system and becomes the most important factor for cervical cancer.”
Talking about the symptoms, Dr. Sharma said woman should seek medical guidance in case of abnormal vaginal bleeding, bleeding after menopause, bleeding following coitus or pelvic examination or increased vaginal discharge. The diagnosis was confirmed by biopsy.
Advising to get them screened for cancer regularly, she said the Pap smear was the single most effective cancer screening test. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended screening annually for all women under the age of 30 starting from 18 years or when the girl became sexually active. Over the age of 30, one could space the screening to every 2-3 years if the last 3 tests have been negative and some other conditions were met. The peak age of developing cervical cancer was 40-50 years, she pointed out.
On preventing cervical cancer, Dr. Sharma informed that condoms prevented STDs and infection which led to HPV. There were also 2 types of vaccines available in India for age groups 9-25 years. These vaccines dis not cure cervical cancer cases but prevent future infections with HPV.//Haryana news, Haryana current news, Haryana news live, Haryana breaking news, Haryana headlines, Haryana latest news, india news, world news,
