“Ignorance is dangerous”.

Mrs. Elizabeth Thurton, a 67 year old business woman, said this while she described the importance of cervical screening in women.

She was at the cervical screening/ enlightenment programme organized by the George Kerry Life Foundation at the Williams Memorial Methodist Church in Ebute-Metta, Lagos.

Dr. Matilda Kerry,

president of the George Kerry Life foundation summarized the importance of cervical screening for all women, especially those who have been sexually active.

Cervical cancer affects only women and kills about eight thousand Nigerian women every year. It is only surpassed by breast cancer in number of cancer deaths among Nigerian women. The death rates from cervical cancer in the industrial world have dropped drastically since the introduction of routine screening programmes. It is hoped that the same feat can be repeated in Nigeria if we can imbibe the culture of cervical cancer screening in our women.

6 THINGS EVERY WOMAN MUST KNOW ABOUT CERVICAL CANCER

· Cervical cancer is the cancer of the neck of the womb.

· Cervical cancer is presently 100% preventable. This is because the virus that causes cervical cancer has been clearly demonstrated.

· The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV serotypes 16,18) is the virus responsible for this cancer, and it is transmitted sexually. This means that someone who is carrying this virus can pass it on to another person by having sexual contact with him or her. This virus is especially important in women because, unlike men, whose penises are easily washed and cleaned, so that the virus has a smaller chance of remaining on the skin surface, the vagina, not as effective in internal cleaning, retains this virus easily.

· The virus can be contracted through intimate skin-to-skin contact, that is, someone does not need to “penetrate” before it is transmitted. Even skin contact of the genitals is enough to cause a spread. CONDOMS are not 100% effective in prevention.

· Uncircumcised men have been shown to have higher rates of penile cancer caused by HPV accumulating under the uncut foreskin.

· The good news is that the virus takes a long time (between 5 and 30 years) to convert a normal cervix to a fully cancerous one. The screening process recognizes the steps along this long pathway and allows for treatment even before cancer actually develops.