Just coming out of Cervical Cancer month, Bestmed, the fifth largest medical aid scheme, focussed on educating people on how to prevent cervical cancer.
A number of general practitioners agree that regular visits to the doctor should form part of your basic preventative healthcare lifestyle. Cancer may come in many different forms and if it’s not prevented it is always important to treat it in its early stages in order to cure it. According to CANSA (Cancer Association of South Africa), cervical cancer can often be found early and is becoming a leading cause of death for women in developing countries.
Cervical cancer forms in tissues of the cervix – the organ connecting the uterus and the vagina. It is usually a slow-growing cancer that may not have symptoms which makes it a very dangerous type of cancer due to it unidentifiable nature. In most cases, cervical cancer is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, which is a common virus with about 100 different types which affect different parts of the body, with about 30 types which affect the genitals – including vulva, cervix, penis and scrotum, as well as the rectum and anus. From these ones, about 13 types are considered a “high risk” for leading cervical cancers.
“Because cervical cancer usually develops slowly over time, it is important for one to undergo regular pelvic exams and pap testing, which often includes lab tests where a sample of cells from the cervix are scraped, checking for samples of cervical cancer cells or abnormal cells that could become cancer; cervical exam, and tissue sample which can help detect pre-cancerous changes in the cervix,” said Dr Elsabe Hammann, General Practitioner at Bestmed.
CANSA also mentions that about 90% of cancers are caused by environmental and lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet and exercise, with 1 in 9 women suffering from cervical cancer. The most common symptoms and signs of cervical cancer are vaginal bleeding, increased vaginal discharge, bleeding after going through menopause, pain during sex, and pelvic pain.
“Through Bestmed’s oncology programme, members with cervical cancer are given an opportunity to register. The programme provides cancer benefits, applying evidence-based medicine principles and considering affordability to the different benefit options. It uses the Standard option of the Independent Clinical Oncology Network (ICON) for all members which Bestmed,” adds Dr Hamman.