A Consultant Family Physician, Dr Nkiruka Okpala has advocated compulsory Human Papiloma Virus, HPV vaccination for young girls as a sure way to stamp out the scourge of cervical cancer in Nigeria.
Dr Okpala gave the advice while speaking in Abagana during a women empowerment program, organized by the Women Wing of the Abagana Welfare Union, AWU, for rural women in the community.
Okpala, who spoke on Cervical and Breast Cancer: Awareness and Prevention, said the major cause of cervical cancer is Human Papiloma Virus, HPV.
She identified some worrying signs to look out for to include when a woman starts seeing her menstruation long after it had stopped, waist pain, foul-smelling discharge from the vagina among others.
The medical expert noted that while breast cancer cannot be prevented, the good thing about cervical cancer is that it can be prevented with the HPV vaccine, and once detected early, it can be cured, because it takes a very long to develop, up to 10 years.
“There is a vaccine for the prevention of HPV for children 9-14 years, which is administered at public health centres free of charge.
“Those above the age should go for screening regularly and also do Pap Smear test to collect cells from the cervix to detect precancerous or cancerous changes, largely caused by HPV, every three years.
“Pre-cancerous lesions can be caught early through screening and treated. That is why we advocate early detection and prevention. Unfortunately, most cancer patients come to the hospital at an advanced stage due to the habit of not detecting the signs and symptoms early through tests,” she regretted.
On the issue of breast cancer, Dr Okpala observed that is becoming more rampant these days, even among young girls in their 20s, hence the need to raise awareness on the disease, so as to ensure that women do not suffer due to ignorance.
According to her, the fear about cancer is the spread because once it spreads, there is a limit to what can be done, but with early detection, the risk of spread is very low.
The family physician advised women to take care of their health because a lot depends on them.
“It has not been identified what causes cancer. But it is when cells begin to grow uncontrollably, without dying, beyond their size, to cause tumour, spreading to different parts of the body. Eyes, kidney, breasts, blood and other parts of the body can develop cancers
“Breast cancer means abnormal growth in the breast, and when it is identified, it is important to do medical examination.
“Risks that may predispose one to cancer include increasing age, family history and genetics, early menstruation, late menopause, obesity, and excessive alcohol intake, among others.
“Signs to look out for include lumps in the breast, a change in the shape or size of the breast, bloody discharge from the breast, pain in the breast, changes in the skin, and a retracted nipple, among others.
“As a precaution, women should do self-breast examination once every month, and also do mammogram as often as is required. It is also advised that women must maintain a healthy diet, good physical activity, reduce alcohol intake and other unhealthy foods that may expose them to breast cancer,” she advised.
