More women in South
Africa die of cervical
cancer than of breast
cancer – a unique statistic.
Despite this, only in five to 10
years will our country have a
national screening programme,
which will implement guidelines
on the frequency with which Pap
smears should be administered.
A Pap smear is a vaginal
screening test that helps detect
changes in the cervix that could
signal cancer or precancer. An
abnormal Pap smear result
may reflect local inflammation
or abnormal cells caused by
a vaginal or viral infection.
However, sometimes these
abnormal cells can signal the
beginning of cervical cancer. If
you have abnormal cells, your
doctor may repeat the Pap
smear or schedule a colposcopy
– a test to look at the cervix
under magnification.
In the First World a woman
is encouraged to have her first
Pap smear when she becomes
sexually active and then one year
later. If the smears are normal
she will be advised to have her
next screening three years later
and then at 10-year intervals.
Recently the American
Cancer Society changed the
guidelines and women over
70 years old, with a history of
normal Pap tests, as well as
women who have undergone a
hysterectomy for non-cancerous
reasons, needn't be tested again.
In South Africa sexually
active women are advised to
undergo a Pap smear at least
every two years. However,
money and logistics often
prevent access to Pap smear
tests and 70 per cent of women
in our country have never had
one, according to Dr Bruce
Howard, gynaecologist at Groote
Schuur Hospital. Dr Howard is
assisting Professor Lyn Danny
in implementing the country's
first screening programme.
The programme will set the
standards for all women to be
tested at 30, 40 and 50.
Until we have better
programmes in place to protect
all South Africans, each woman
will have to take her cervical
health very seriously, warns
Howard. Regular Pap smears
are crucial as are requests for
examinations at the first sign
of abnormal vaginal bleeding
or abnormal discharge. Those
particularly at risk of contracting
cervical cancer include smokers,
HIV-positive women and
those with a history of human
papilloma virus (HPV).
A new Product on the market:
A product called Sen-c-Test
that can detect certain strains
of high-risk human papilloma
virus (HPV), which is associated
with the development of
cervical cancer, is available at
pharmacies countrywide.
This test may detect the
cervical cancer sooner than
might be detected by a Pap
smear. However, the Sen-c-Test
is not a replacement for the Pap
smear, but can be used as an
additional health check.
You 'collect' your own
sample by inserting a tampon
for three to eight hours. The
tampon is then placed in the
sample tube and returned to
the pharmacy, which will send it
to a laboratory to test for HPV.
You can contact Sen-c-Test's
hotline on ð0860 102 935 or
visit www.senctest.com