For many women, the fight against cervical cancer is a personal one, particularly for those who have journeyed with the disease and survived it.
A handful of cervical cancer survivors from She Matters Cervical Cancer Foundation, Inc. had this in mind when they recently gathered at the Lapu-Lapu City Health Office to support the “Mass Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) Cervical Cancer Screening.”
The event, organized by the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (POGS) Cebu Chapter in cooperation with the Department of Health (DOH) Region VII, is part of the annual “Scarlet May” which is a month-long celebration promoting cervical cancer awareness, prevention, and control.
Forty five-year-old Gina (not her real name) was one survivor who shared her story with over 920 women aged 21 to 65 as they waited for their VIA screening. VIA is proven an effective and viable alternative to pap smears in low resource settings.
“Dapat gawin yearly ang Pap Smear o VIA to keep safe. Takot talaga ko dati sa doctor lalo na sa OB. Psychological kung baga. Baka isipin nila marami akong partners. Pero dapat ang mga babae hindi na iniisip yun. Dapat intindihin muna natin sarili natin (Pap Smears and VIA screenings should be done yearly to keep safe. I was really fearful of doctors before particularly of the OB. It’s psychological. They might think I have lots of partners. But women shouldn’t be thinking of that anymore. We should be worrying about ourselves first),” said Gina.
Gina was 22 when she was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer. After battling it for three years, she made a commitment to have herself screened regularly. In 2006, Gina learned that her disease returned as cervical cancer at the late stage of 3B, followed by breast and thyroid cancer. She bravely fought these diseases until 2011.
At this time, Gina experienced the pain caused by her diseases particularly that of cervical cancer – which is known as a prolific killer. “Noong 2006, sabi ng doktor ko hanggang seven months na lang daw ako. Malapit na akong bumitaw noon pati na rin kapamilya ko (In 2006, my doctor said I only had seven months to live. It came to a point when I and my family almost gave up hope),” she shared.
But Gina kept her faith and won the fight. Today, she continues battling cancer with other women by espousing activities such as those held on “Scarlet May”.
Lorna (not her real name), on the other hand, was diagnosed with cervical cancer stage 2B at age 24. She found out when she visited the doctor for a check-up after experiencing consistent pain on her hips after giving birth.
“Early detection and treatment is really better compared to finding out too late,” said Lorna, now 26 years old. “I think opportunities such as these where indigent women can get free screening is really important. More women should participate in these activities because doctors and specialists will be here and they can consult them as well.”
Fortunately, in two years, Lorna has coped well with her treatments. Today, she’s positive that the results of her continuous screenings will yield negative until she’s declared fully cancer-free.
Apart from VIA, lectures on cervical cancer focusing on its risk factors, causes, and symptoms were also held during the event. Human papilloma virus (HPV) was highlighted as the leading cause of cervical cancer, with over 99 percent of cases linked to HPV infection. For participants found HPV positive, free cryotherapy treatment was provided to quickly eliminate irregularities in the cervix.
“Through events such as these, we want people to know that cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among Filipino women, but it is highly preventable. Early detection greatly increases chances of survival, so we cannot stress enough the importance of screening,” explained Dr. Pherdes Galbo, POGS Coordinator of the Scarlet May Cervical Cancer Awareness Month during an interview.
Dr. Helen Amorin, president of the POGS Cebu Chapter, discussed the significance of vaccination for girls aged 9 to 10. HPV not only causes cervical cancer but also genital warts, ovarian and vulvar cancers, among others. Thus, it is vital to get wider coverage protection against these various HPV strains.
“Women play an integral role in society – they are our mothers, sisters, daughters. If we lose our women to cancer, then it will be a loss to society. HPV is a common infection that anybody canget. Hence, it’s time to break the stigma that screening and vaccination encourage early sexual activity,” said Amorin.
“Scarlet May” is spearheaded by POGS Cebu Chapter in cooperation with the DOH, with support from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Eduardo J. Aboitiz Cancer Center, She Matters, and MSD in the Philippines.
All month long, the DOH holds free cervical cancer screening for women aged 25 to 55 years at selected DOH hospitals nationwide. Further, as part of its National Cancer Prevention and Control Program, the government increased its number of beneficiaries (9-year-old Grade IV girls in public schools) for free quadrivalent HPV vaccination which protects people not just from cervical cancer but other HPV-related infections such as genital warts.