Disclosing this in Lagos, a Consultant Clinical & Radiation Oncologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Dr Omolola Salako, remarked that vaccination is currently the only foolproof protection against the Human Papiloma Virus, HPV, that is responsible for cervical cancer. Salako stressed the need for women to embrace regular screening as it is the easiest and cheapest way of prevention. “Every sexually active woman is at risk of contracting HPV and should adopt the habit of going for regular screening in order to detect the virus early,” she opined. Salako who is also the Executive Director, Sebeccly Cancer Care and Support Centre, explained that under its 1K Cervix Campaign, the Centre will be screening more than 1000 women in Lagos. “It takes only N7,000 to get a Pap smear test once in five years and N21, 000 to get vaccinated for life. But when the infection has been allowed to grow into full blown cancer, one is not even sure of curing it with N500,000,” she noted. Salako spoke during an interactive session organised by Sebeccly Cancer Care and Support Centre, in collaboration with the Health Writers’ Association of Nigeria, HEWAN. At the forum, tagged, “Meet Health Writers”, about 50 women including female HEWAN members were screened for breast and cervical cancers as part of the campaign to reduce cervical and breast cancer among Nigerian women. Breast and cervical cancers are the most common leading cancers in Nigerian women, and the world at large. Also speaking at the event which coincided with the monthly forum of the HEWAN, a Consultant Gynaecologist and lecturer at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, CMUL, Dr. Kehinde Okunade said about 500,000 new cases of cervical cancer are recorded and out of which about 300,000 die annually in Nigeria. He said 14,550 women are down with cervical cancer every year out of which 9,659 die. Okunade, in his lecture, maintained that cervical cancer is the easiest cancer to prevent through periodic screening with up to 75 per cent accuracy. On the ease of prevention, it takes between 10 and 15 years for one cancer cell on the neck of the cervix to develop and this window period is when doctors capitalise on to pick women and treat them. Okunade said that if the cells are allowed to grow fully into cancer, the only option to treat it is surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which all comes with various challenges. Cervical cancer is caused by the HPV and out of every four women, three will be infected.
