Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jul 24, 2015 News
The incidence of cancer of the cervix has outstripped that of cancer of the prostate to become the second most common cancer in Guyana. This means that the prevalence of cancer of the cervix is second only to breast cancer, with both being the leading cancers affecting women in this South American territory.
This is according to information contained in the 2015 Cancer Surveillance Report which was compiled with information garnered by the Guyana Cancer Registry and analysed by Director of Chronic Diseases within the Ministry of Health, Dr Morris Edwards.
A total of 1,014 cases of cervical cancer were recorded over the period 2003-2012 which gave rise to a Cumulative Incidence Rate of 270 per 100,000 population.
And while it was mistakenly believed that the rate of cancer was highest among women of Amerindian descent, Dr Edwards’ analysis was able to dispel of this myth. He was able to ascertain that Guyanese women of Chinese descent had the highest Cumulative Incidence Rate, that is, 573.1 per 100,000 population. They were followed by Afro-Guyanese, Amerindian, Indo-Guyanese, and then women of Mixed race.
Ahead of the compilation of the Report, Dr Edwards disclosed that a survey was able to deduce that healthcare providers themselves had the perception that Amerindian women had the highest rate of cervical cancer.
“Maybe we know of Amerindian women who have suffered with cervical cancer, and that is what gives us the impression that that may be the case. I have spoken to persons who work at the Georgetown Hospital and that’s their feelings also, but the evidence doesn’t bear that out,” Dr Edwards asserted.
However, the Chronic Diseases Director pointed out that, Afro-Guyanese women had marginally the highest incidence of the disease followed by Indo-Guyanese women.
“If this (data) doesn’t say something…we all have our perceptions; let the data speak for itself, because we are leading ourselves and others down the wrong path. We all have our blinkers on; we are data rich but information poor,” Dr Edwards observed.
His analysis of the cancer data has deduced too that cancer of the cervix seems to be a disease of younger women as opposed to breast cancer which has accounted for more cancer deaths in older women.
According to Dr Edwards, more than half of the cases of cervical cancer were found to be in women below the age of 55 with those 15-39 accounting for the most cases.
While reporting on the disease might not have been of the best in the early years, Dr Edwards did share his belief that the ongoing Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) programme that has been implemented by the Ministry of Health, has the potential of addressing a perceived reporting challenge.
But this may not be possible until efforts are made to actually utilise the data garnered. Currently the state of affairs that obtains, according to Dr. Edwards, is that “that data is lying in the VIA Clinic at the Georgetown Hospital. Nobody looks at that data; that data doesn’t get translated to us at the Central Ministry of Public Health.”
However, moves have since been made, with the collaboration of the Pan American Health Organisation, to have the accumulated data entered into a laptop. There are currently some 294 entries thus far, Dr Edwards disclosed. This means that all women who have been screened for cervical cancer, regardless of positive or negative results, their information will be entered into the system.
Like the other cancers there has been limited staging of cancer of the cervix. Staging speaks to efforts made by medical personnel to determine the prognosis and treatment options. And according to Dr Edwards, in two-thirds of the women diagnosed with cancer there was no staging.
“It pains me as a male to be making these statements…all it requires is to pass a speculum and take a sample and this can be easily staged. Two-thirds of the women don’t have any staging and the rest of the women are being diagnosed late with cervical cancer,” the Chronic Diseases Director lamented.
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Apr 19, 2024
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