Cervical Cancer Written by Raheem RIchards, Dr. Winsome Christie and Dr. Tamara Green

 

Dr. Winsome Christie

Cancer is a disease that occurs when there is uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body. When cancer starts to develop in the cervix this is referred to as Cervical Cancer.  The cervix is the lower section of the uterus or womb where it meets the vagina. Once found early persons with Cervical Cancer do very well. The main cause of cervical cancer is the Human Papillomavirus (HPV).  According to (Zhang et al., 2020) other risk factors for cervical cancer include having several sex partners , having sexual intercourse before the age of 16 and smoking.  

Mr. Raheem Richards

Some important signs and symptoms of cervical cancer includes vaginal bleeding between periods, after intercourse,  menstrual bleeding that is longer or heavier than usual, vaginal bleeding after menopause, pain during intercourse,  pelvic pain, a change in your vaginal discharge such as more discharge or it may have a strong or unusual colour or smell, 

Based on statistics from The Catalan Institute of  Oncology and The International Agency for Research on Cancer Information Center

Dr. Tamara Green  

(ICO/IARC ) on HPV and Cancer 2021, Jamaica  has a total of  1.14 million women who are aged 15 years and older who are at risk for developing cervical cancer.   According to estimates 386 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, while it is estimated that 247 women die from cervical cancer yearly.  Cervical cancer is the third most frequent cancer among women in Jamaica, while it remains  the second most common cancer among women in Jamaica aged 15- 44 years old. 

Preventative measures for cervical cancer include getting the HPV vaccine, limiting sexual partners, the use of a condom during sexual intercourse and avoiding smoking.  

The pap smear is an annual preventative measure to detect the presence of treatable pre-cancerous cells. The HPV test may also be combined with the PAP smear test  since the presence of HPV is a major risk factor for cervical cancer.

 Abnormal pap smear results may lead to repeat smears or the need for further investigations and treatments. If there is cervical cancer, further tests are needed to see if there has been  spread of the cancer. Tests that are done to determine if there is spread  such as  blood tests and high powered scans like CT scans.  Cervical cancer has four main stages ranging from stage I to stage IV and is classified based on the degree of spread from cervix to other organs.

Treatment is guided by the extent of the disease and may include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Surgery: removal of cancer tissue in an operation. Chemotherapy: using special medicines to shrink or kill the cancer. Radiation: using high energy rays to kill the cancer"

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections cause a large percentage of cervical cancer occurrences, and specialists contend that consuming the appropriate foods can stop HPV from destroying the body. The diet must include foods high in folic acid, carotenoids, flavonoids, and other antioxidants, which are primarily found in fruits and vegetables. These important food chemicals can be found in our: apples, lettuce, spinach , cabbage, onions, garlic, pumpkins, soy, cranberry, sweet potatoes, and strawberries.   

Knowledge of cancer risk and its responsible management through the previously stated behavioural changes have been extremely helpful in reducing fear and death rates among Jamaican women. Still yet, silently anguished have been many cancer patients and their families. The physical, emotional and financial toll experienced in our families has lent itself to indelible trauma experiences of cancer. When someone we love has cancer our challenging journeys can be made more manageable through access to continued quality medical cancer care and the guided support of family caregivers. The interconnectedness of the tasks of the medical care team with the tasks of  community caregivers needs to be better appreciated and supported in Jamaica and our region. This January, we honour the lives of those who have passed from cervical cancer, their families and caregivers as we endeavour to  #CloseTheCareGap in celebration of February’s World Cancer Day.

Authors

Raheem Richards 

• Final Year Pharmacy Student 
• University of Technology Jamaica 

Dr. Winsome Christie

• Clinical Pharmacist/Integrative Health and Medicine Specialist
• Member of The Palliative Care Working Group Jamaica
• CEO of Sunshine Pharmacy Ltd
• Immediate Past President of The Pharmaceutical Society of Jamaica

Dr. Tamara Green

• Supportive Oncologist & Community Palliative Care Physician, Jamaica
• Sub-Committee Member of International Psycho-Oncology Society
• Administrator: African Caribbean Cancer Consortium Research Ethics and Review Committee 

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References 

Zhang, S., Xu, H., Zhang, L., & Qiao, Y. (2020). Cervical cancer: Epidemiology, risk factors and screening. Chinese Journal of Cancer Research, 32(6), 720–728. https://doi.org/10.21147/j.issn.1000-9604.2020.06.05   

ICO/IARC Information Centre on HPV and cancer jamaica. (2021, October 22). Retrieved January 16, 2023, from https://hpvcentre.net/statistics/reports/JAM_FS.pdf

Lexicomp.Cervical Cancer. Patient Education Lexicomp.onlinehttps://online.lexi.com/lco/action/doc/retrieve/docid/disandproc/3638844?cesid=4R0UeSEJya2&searchUrl=%2Flco%2Faction%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dcervical%2Bcancer%26t%3Dname%26acs%3Dfalse%26acq%3Dcervical%2Bcancer