Prevention Of Cervical Cancer

Human Papilloma Virus or known as HPV causes about 80% of cervial cancer. The virus are normally transmitted through sexual intercourse that are carried by both females and males.

Cervical cancer is the 6th most common cancer among women in Singapore and it could be prevented when women undergo a Pap Smear test starting at the age of 21.

The test should be done annually for the first 3 years and done once every 3 years when everything is normal.

Discovered by George Papanikolaou decades ago, it is possible to detect cancer of the cervix by just scraping the surface cells and examine under the microscope. It could then be identified how the normal cells looked different from the cells where cancer of the cervix developed.

Discovery and use of Pap Smear has helped save hundreds of thousands of life.

Even with the simple, safe and inexpensive procedure, many women have not gone for the Pap Smear test or are not going as regularly as they should because of the attitude of “cancer cannot happen to me”, embarassment of having a vaginal examination or fear of discomfort.

In 2006, a vaccine against the HPV virus was released and it is targetted at girls between the age of 10 and 26 and preferably before they become sexually active. With this vaccine, it has the potential to reduce the HPV viral infection and cancer of cervix rates.

If women screened themselves regularly and with medical breakthrough of vaccinations, the possibility of cervical cancer being a potent enemy would be very much reduced.