Simple steps a life saver in cervical cancer battle

Jan 21 2008 by Our Correspondent, Western Mail

At the start of European Cervical Cancer Awareness Week, Dr Joanna Longstaffe, director of the Independent General Practice, explains why prevention is the key to fighting this disease

TODAY marks the start of European Cervical Cancer Awareness Week, which is designed to raise awareness and understanding of what is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK, killing more than 1,000 women a year.

The Independent General Practice was one of the first clinics in Wales to offer Gardasil, a vaccine against the human papilloma virus (HPV), which is known to be one of the major causes of cervical cancer.

The licensing of Gardasil was a massive breakthrough in cancer treatment as it offers 100% protection against the main strains of HPV that trigger most cases of the disease. It also has the added benefit of protecting against two other strains of the sexually transmitted virus which cause different infections.

The virus is actually very common and around three quarters of women will be infected at some point in their lives. Fortunately, the majority of HPV infections are fought off by the body’s immune system. But, on the occasions that this doesn’t happen, the virus remains in the cervix, and over a period of time, develops into abnormal cancer-causing cells – unless, of course, these are detected early.

The problem is that there are very few symptoms in the early stages of cervical cancer and that is why vaccination and regular screening really are our best weapons in the fight against it.

Every sexually active woman is at risk from the HPV virus – whatever their age or family history. Contrary to popular belief, cervical cancer is not hereditary and that’s why it’s so important that women heed the warnings and take responsibility for their health and wellbeing.

In terms of vaccination, Gardasil is a prescription-only medicine that has to be administered by a qualified doctor or nurse. It covers girls and young women aged between nine and 26 and is administered in three doses over a period of six months.

Cervarix, another HPV vaccine which has also been granted a licence, is aimed at a slightly older age group and can be administered up to the age of 55.

Neither vaccines are painful and are generally well tolerated, so they shouldn’t cause any side effects.

The idea is to catch women before they become sexually active because, if they already have a specific strain of HPV, the vaccine may not offer protection. It will still, however, guard against the remaining strains of the virus.

It is important to stress that as the vaccine protects against four, but not all, strains of HPV, women will still need regular smear tests in order to help spot and treat the early signs of the disease – this really is the most effective form of detection.

More than four million women in the UK have a smear every year and approximately 4,500 lives are saved because the disease has been caught in an early stage as a direct result. While some women experience slight discomfort, it isn’t a painful procedure and any short-term pain is a small price to pay for what could ultimately save a life – seven cases are prevented out of every 10 women who would have developed cervical cancer if they hadn’t opted to have a smear test.

In addition to vaccination and screening, maintaining a generally healthy lifestyle will also lessen the chances of developing the disease. This includes practising safe sex, not smoking, limiting alcohol intake to a sensible amount and following a healthy diet.

This advice is certainly not meant to scare women into thinking they are automatically going to fall prey to this disease, but anything that raises awareness and encourages them to take what really are very simple steps to aid its prevention has to be worthwhile.

The Independent General Practice is Wales’ first private general practice and holds surgeries in Cardiff, Newport and Swansea. For more information call 029 2064 7308.