The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health |
| Posted: 21 May 2011 10:10 PM PDT CERVICAL cancer is a cancer that affects women of different ages and backgrounds across the world. It begins in the cervix – the part of the uterus (or womb) that opens to the vagina – and becomes gradually more invasive if left untreated. One of the causes of cervical cancer is persistent infection with an extremely common and contagious virus: the human papillomavirus (HPV) . There are over 100 identified types of HPV, most of which are harmless. There are 15 cancer-causing types which can lead to cervical cancer; some of the most common include HPV 16, 18, 45 and 31 . Both younger and older women are at risk of cervical cancer due to new infection or re-infection by cancer-causing HPV. Cancer-causing HPV types 16 and 18 together cause up to 70% of all cervical cancers worldwide. A vaccine targeting HPV 16 and HPV 18 has therefore the potential to prevent up to 70% of cervical cancers . Here are some relevant facts about cervical cancer: ·Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer occurring in women, after breast cancer. ·Worldwide, every two minutes, a woman dies of cervical cancer. ·Globally, more than 270,000 deaths occur each year from cervical cancer. ·There are an estimated 500,000 reported cervical cancer cases each year, with more than 80% in developing countries. ·In Asia Pacific, an estimated 266,000 cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed each year, with approximately 143,000 dying from the disease. ·In developing countries, only 41% of women will get the treatment they need to survive. ·Cervical cancer affects women in the prime of their lives, often while they are working and are still responsible for their children and wider family. Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer among Malaysian females after breast and colorectal cancer. In 2006, cervical cancer accounted for 9.1% of all female cancers in Peninsula Malaysia . Among its ethnic groups – namely Chinese, Malays and Indians – the Chinese experienced the highest incidence rate in 2006, at 15.6 per 100,000 population. This was followed by Indians and Malays at 9.5 and 5.8 per 100,000 population respectively. In 1998, 7.9% of all cancer admissions in government hospitals were due to cervical cancers, of which 10.5% died from the disease. It is estimated that 50-80% of women will acquire a genital HPV infection in their lifetime, and up to 50% of those infections will be potentially cancer-causing. The risk starts right from sexual debut as HPV is transmitted through sexual activity; infection may occur simply through skin-to-skin contact in the genital area . For every one million women who are infected with cancer-causing HPV, approximately 10%, or 100,000, will develop abnormal and pre-cancerous cervical cell changes known as cervical dysplasia. This stage is fairly common and nearly half the time it will go away on its own. Approximately 8% of women (8,000) with abnormal and pre-cancerous cervical cells will develop early cancer and 1,600 of these women will go on to develop invasive cervical cancer (ie 1% to 2% will go on to develop invasive cervical cancer). Progression of cervical cancer disease may have no symptoms hence it can remain undetected. The progressive development of cellular changes takes place over many years in most cases. However, the more aggressive adenocarcinoma develops more rapidly and is more difficult to detect. Adenocarcinoma is on the rise in young women . A number of other factors appear to contribute to the persistence of cancer causing HPV infection, and therefore the development of cervical cancer: ·A young age at first sexual experience ·High number of pregnancies ·Cigarette smoking ·Long-term use of oral contraceptives ·Other sexually transmitted infections (eg Herpes simplex virus, chlamydia) Although these factors may have an impact on the development of cervical cancer, it has been proven that cancer-causing HPV infection is the "necessary cause" of cervical cancer. Cancer-causing HPV is present in 99.7% of cervical cancers. In 1943, the Pap smear was introduced to detect abnormal cells from the cervix, as a secondary cancer prevention method. Cells for a Pap smear are collected during a routine pelvic examination. Screening programmes using Pap smears are an important early detection tool, but they do not detect all pre-cancerous lesions or cancer. Screening programmes can identify abnormal and pre-cancerous cells on the cervix; they do not prevent the cause of cervical cancer and abnormal cells, ie persistent infection with cancer-causing HPV types . However, it must be noted that the risk of developing cervical cancer is approximately five times higher in women who are not regularly screened. Related Story: |
| Posted: 21 May 2011 10:09 PM PDT Malaysians join hands to fight cervical cancer by pledging to protect their best friends. A CAMPAIGN by the National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM) and supported by GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical (GSK), the "Fight Cervical Cancer in Style Best Friends Forever" (BFF) campaign, an extension of the Power Over Cervical Cancer (POCC) campaign, culminated with the "POCC Celebrate Life With Your BFF Pink Party" recently. POCC was launched in July 2009 to create and sustain awareness on cervical cancer and empower and encourage women to discuss with their healthcare professionals and seek protection against the disease through Pap smears and vaccination. POCC embarked on a new phase with its BFF campaign in September 2010. Over the eight-month period, the BFF campaign met its objective of raising awareness on cervical cancer education and empowered Malaysians to reach out to their best friends – women they care about – to spread the message of protection and reduce their risk of the disease. A digital photo pledge drive was mobilised to facilitate this, with over 4,500 Malaysians pledging to protect their BFFs from cervical cancer. The digital photo pledges were also facilitated through a team of dynamic young women known as the Roving Pinkies, who made on-ground appearances at selected shopping malls and colleges/universities. This feat marked the largest number of pledges collected towards cervical cancer and was proudly displayed at the party in the form of a photo montage. The party also saw the forging of a new partnership with renown fashion brand, Anna Sui, who joins current campaign partners such as Reebok, L'Oréal Pureology, Mell Basics, Nose, Cleo and Cosmopolitan Magazine. Anna Sui will be placing collection boxes at all their counters nationwide to raise funds for POCC from June to December 2011. At the party, NCSM was also presented with cheques and tokens from each partner, symbolising their commitment and support of POCC in championing the fight against cervical cancer. Common cancer Cervical cancer is caused by persistent infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV), and represents the second most common cancer globally amongst women. In Malaysia, it is the third most common cancer amongst women after breast and colorectal cancer. In 2006, cervical cancer accounted for 9.1% of all female cancers in Peninsula Malaysia . "Cervical cancer affects women in the prime of their lives, often affecting their career and family," said Dr Saunthari Somasundaram, president and medical director of the NCSM. "Realising this, POCC was born from the NCSM's vision to prevent premature deaths due to this highly preventable and identifiable disease," Dr Saunthari explained further. Dr Saunthari credited the success of POCC to the constant dedication of its partners: "I would like to thank all the partners who have journeyed with us on POCC – GSK, Reebok, L'oreal Pureology, Mell Basics, Nose, Cleo and Cosmopolitan Magazine. You have generously contributed your time and support towards POCC and its events and we are constantly encouraged by your passion and dedication towards this cause. I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome on board our newest partner, Anna Sui," said Dr Saunthari. "We are very encouraged by the response garnered towards the BFF campaign. This has further compelled us to fulfil our mission of enabling people to do more, feel better, and live longer, and we are committed towards engaging the public in future education and awareness initiatives," said Choong Kit Son, Vaccines Business Unit Director, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical Malaysia. Also speaking at the party was Genevieve Sambhi, POCC Ambassador and cervical cancer survivor, who shared that she is honoured to be a part of the POCC campaign to help raise awareness and educate women on the importance of early detection and prevention of cervical cancer. "Being a cervical cancer survivor myself, it is my hope that nobody should have to go through what I did. Therefore, I have made it my personal mission to ensure that all Malaysian women are equipped with adequate information on cervical cancer and how they can be protected," said Sambhi. Five other popular personalities have come forward to volunteer as POCC ambassadors – Pamela Chong, Vanessa Chong, Siow Hui Mei, Rina Omar, Genevieve Sambhi and Sarimah Ibrahim. These celebrities are the spokespersons for appropriate media opportunities, highlighting the POCC campaign as well as creating awareness on cervical cancer. Other components of the BFF campaign included the Pink Bazaar and Auction, which raised more than RM8,000 for the NSCM Cancer Fund to support cancer patients through cancer related activities, and the BMW Malaysian Open 2011, where POCC was selected as the official charity. For more information about the campaign, visit www.pocc.com.my. The POCC website has been revamped to present information in a fresh and engaging manner. The website features interactive pages to support online photo pledges and story submissions for people to share their experiences with cervical cancer to instil hope and inspire others who are battling the disease. Comprehensive information on cervical cancer, its symptoms and risk factors are presented via engaging videos, while the Cervical Cancer Risk Questionnaire and prevention strategies enable visitors to find out how they can protect themselves and their loved ones. About National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM) – Established in 1966, The National Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM) is a registered charity body that provides education, care and support services to people affected by cancer. It is the first cancer-related NGO established in Malaysia, and the only charity body that provides an extensive range of cancer services, treatment and support to the public. For more information, visit www.cancer.org.my. Related Story: |
| Posted: 21 May 2011 10:08 PM PDT For homeopathy practitioners, the treatment of patients with hypertension is very individualised. HOMEOPATHY, a therapeutic method that was developed by German physician Samuel Christian Hahnemann at the end of the 18th century, is said to work by stimulating the body's ability to heal itself by giving very small doses of highly diluted substances. While the US National Institutes of Health webpage on homeopathy states that most analyses have concluded that there is little evidence to support homeopathy as an effective treatment for any specific condition, it recognises that some studies have reported positive findings. In homeopathy, practitioners rarely treat a disease alone in isolation, or on its own. Hence, they do not look at hypertension as an isolated health problem, says Dr Suriyakhatun Osman, who is a medical doctor and also a senior lecturer in homeopathy at the Cyberjaya University College of Medical Science. "We believe that it is usually a symptom of an underlying disease or condition, like stress, artherosclerosis or liver and kidney disease. "So, depending on the type of underlying disease that is present in a patient, we will manage each patient individually," she says. Hypertension is diagnosed only by checking the blood pressure, says Dr Suriyakhatun. "Although I do it as a routine examination, some homeopaths may not do so, and it is the patient who comes in with a diagnosis from a conventional doctor and asks for treatment of hypertension from the homeopath," she adds. The role of homeopathy is to evaluate the person and find out what else could be done to help him or her normalise blood pressure. "There are specific remedies that are known to help people with hypertension, and we may prescribe from this group of remedies, which still needs to be individualised," she explains. However, as the remedy for each patient is different (for example, a remedy for hypertension caused by stress and shock is not the same as one that is due to arterial disease), it is difficult for her to describe a common treatment or management approach. "We will evaluate the patient to find out what is their physical and emotional state, and tailor our treatment accordingly," she says. Related Stories: |
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