Prathiba, India. Screening, treatment, and community support.

ARROSSI, S., JAYANT, K., RAJESHWAR, V.

Women´s Stories, women´s lives: Experiences with cervical cancer screening and treatment

ACCP

Lugar: Seatle; Año: 2004; p. 8 - 11

Cervical cancer is a preventable disease. Each year, however, close to a half million women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and nearly a quarter million women die from the disease. The vast majority of these women live in developing countries, where eff ective prevention programs—and awareness of the problem—are oft en in short supply. In fact, in most developing countries, cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women.  The stories in this collection illustrate the unnecessary sufferring cervical cancer can cause women and their families, and how prevention programs can save women’s lives. Cervical cancer develops slowly aft er initial infection with human papillomavirus (HPV). Although women oft en do not experience symptoms until the disease has advanced, simple screening methods can detect precancerous lesions. If such lesions are detected, a range of treatment approaches can be used to prevent the disease from progressing. Women in their thirties and forties are at highest risk for the treatable precancerous lesions that can progress to cancer; cervical cancer rates peak among women in the fifties and sixties. Alliance for Cervical Cancer Prevention (ACCP) demonstration and research projects offer important insights into the potential effectiveness of different screening and treatment strategies under a range of conditions. Focusing on the regions in which cervical cancer incidence and mortality are highest—sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and South Asia—ACCP studies have examined visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), visual inspection with Lugol’s iodine (VILI), cytology (Pap smears), and HPV DNA testing. Th e ACCP has also explored protocols and methods for treating women with suspected precancerous lesions, including cryotherapy and LEEP, both in single- and multiple-visit approaches. While assessing these methods and contributing to knowledge about alternative prevention approaches, the ACCP’s work has also touched—and saved—many women’s lives. The stories on the following pages reflect the experiences of women and their families in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean as they undergo screening and, when necessary, treatment for precancerous cervical lesions or cancer. Each story describes the unique perspectives, fears, and circumstances that the women and their families face. Collectively, the stories highlight the importance and common challenges of increasing understanding of and access to cervical cancer screening and treatment measures.