Latin America must be protected against cervical cancer
posted in Cancer |Spanish doctor felt the need to implement prevention programs in Latin America overwhelmingly to prevent the spread of cervical cancer
The Head of the Epidemiology Research Program at the Catalan Institute of Oncology, Xavier Bosch, warned of the need to implement prevention programs in Latin America overwhelmingly to prevent the spread of cervical cancer.
“Latin America is very exposed. If we can not vaccinate a massive and sustainable, the possibility of spread of uterine cancer is increasing,” Bosch said in an interview with Efe.
The Spanish oncologist is participating this week in Geneva of the World Cancer Congress for five days together over 2500 experts from around the world.
Bosch was invited to participate in the Congress and to present some papers that the Catalan Institute of Oncology written on various topics related to cervical cancer, including one on Latin America.
“Latin America, like any other developing region, has a low coverage of prevention, so the 80 percent of cervical cancer cases occur in developing countries,” said the doctor.
Each year 500,000 women worldwide are diagnosed with cervical cancer and more than half die from this cause.
Cancer is more prevalent among women in more than half the countries, and especially affects the poor and young females.
Bosch explained that in developed countries, both primary prevention, gynecological check-and secondary-stop-disease process is widespread.
However, in poor countries and emerging control is minimal.
“Latin America is a risk area, there is very little control, and you have to keep in mind that sexual patterns have a direct impact,” he said.
Cervical cancer arises after a long process that begins with infection of human papilloma virus, which contracts during sex.
It is estimated that worldwide 10 per cent of women living with HIV, a figure that in developing countries rises to 20 or 25 percent.
“Between 60 and 70 percent of women who have an average sex life intersects with papilloma virus and between 5 and 10 percent is retained and suffer an injury,” said Bosch.
In some cases, the woman’s immune system works by itself and the body reabsorb the virus, although it is not free to contract it again.
“We do not know why some women get the virus and not others or why some do and some do not resorb. What we do know is that he had a type of virus does not protect to enter another,” he clarified Bosh.
However, if the virus detected in the early stage of the process can be treated with medication if you are very advanced, you can operate without having come to develop cancer.
Early detection is widespread in developed countries but is almost nonexistent in developing countries.
For now, the only way to avoid infection without health checks is to vaccinate, so that Bosch calls for mass vaccination of girls before they begin their sexual activity.
“Adolescents are sexually active, change partners more often and that increases the risk of contracting the virus,” added the doctor.