Loretto Rodríguez Rivas
Obstetrics Academic
San Sebastián University Headquarters of Patagonia
Just a couple of days ago, World Cervical Cancer Prevention Day was commemorated, an appropriate event to raise awareness among the population about the importance of promotion, research, and timely treatment for this “silent” disease.
Although cervical cancer is one of the most preventable and treatable malignancies, worldwide it is the fourth most common neoplasm among women, especially in areas with limited resources and low access to education and health services.
Regarding its main causes, 99% of cervical cancer cases are related to the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is mainly acquired through unprotected sexual relations. Maintaining risk behaviors such as early initiation of sexual activity, multiple sexual partners or not using barrier methods that prevent HPV transmission help to contract the disease, which, furthermore, does not generate symptoms in early stages; It is a silent enemy, which can go years without clearly manifesting itself.
It is estimated that around 570,000 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed each year and that approximately 311,000 women die from this disease. It has become an important public health problem that requires addressing strategic measures among several components such as education, access to vaccines, preventive control and access to timely treatment.
In Chile, the Ministry of Health estimates that cervical cancer is one of the main causes of death in women, which is why awareness campaigns have been implemented, expanding vaccination coverage against the human papillomavirus and encouraging screening campaigns. and early and timely treatment.
It is crucial that our women become aware of the issue and the potential risk that this disease entails for their health. As midwives, our work in the field of education and access to detection campaigns is essential, where cervical cytology (Pap smear) becomes an important tool in reducing the number of deaths, since it allows for an investigation and Timely treatment in early stages of the disease, which in turn translates into better survival and impact rates.
