Public awareness key to saving women from uterus cancer

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Sagar Shabnam
Kassilleya Rajbangshi, a 50-year-old woman of Tara village in Manikganj, was doing well with her husband and five children. That was until recently.
Five years after she had her menopause. Kassilleye - not her real name - awoke one morning with her cloth soaked in blood. She was surprised, but thought it was a temporary phenomenon and it would pass. She proved wrong. The unusual menstruation did not stop immediately. She also suffered severe pain in her abdomen. It was painful as well as embarrassing. But her health started deteriorating fast.
Married at age 10, the woman never went to a doctor -- all her children were born normally. This time too she preferred seeing a Kabiraj to a doctor. That did not work. So, one day she, along with her daughter, visited Garpara Sahara Hasan Hospital - not far from her village.
There a doctor checked her thoroughly and suspected it might be case of cancer in the mouth of uterus. She was advised to go to a specialised cancer hospital in Dhaka's Mohakhali. ``I'm suffering from a fatal disease," says the woman without really knowing about the disease.
Uterus cancer is common among Bangladeshi women. However, many women are not well aware about the danger of the disease. According to one estimate, 26 per cent women in Bangladesh suffer from uterus cancer.
Says Prof. Dr. Rowshan Ara Begum, Head of the Gynaecological and Obs. Department at Holy Family Hospital, "Early marriage, pregnancies at early age and lack of awareness about healthcare are the main reasons why cancer at the mouth of uterus is so common in Bangladesh.
Dr. Khurshid Jahan Mowla, an Associate Professor and Head of Gynaecological Oncology at National Cancer Research, says unusual menstruation, the release of foul white flows, menstruation in between the two periods, return of the menstruation after menopause, blood during sexual intercourse are usually the early signs that should be taken seriously.
It may take eight to 30 years for a full-blown cancer in the mouth of uterus. He says uterus cancer is one of the major killers of women in developing countries. It is also widespread in developed countries.
He says early marriage of women and childbirth, polygamy, frequent childbirths, long use of birth control pills and smoking can cause cancer at the mouth of uterus. Human papilamo virus is responsible for this type of cancer.
About treatment, Dr. Mowla says a pap test is essential whenever the early signs surface. That should be followed up by more tests and cervical bioscropy. If the disease is detected then there should be surgery. Besides, there are various stages of operation. However, it should be noticed that even if cancer is non-contagious, cancer at the mouth of uterus is contagious. That's why sex workers are more prone to this disease.
The number of people suffering from cancer in Bangladesh is not known. According to a World Health Organization, nearly 200,000 people are afflicted with cancer each year. ``This figure is not based on any survey or research. It has been found out after comparing Bangladesh's population with the neighboring countries," says Dr. Mohammad Habibullah Talukder, Head of Epidemiology Department at National Cancer Research Institute and Hospital."
In 2000-2002, a total of 161 cancer patients were admitted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib University Hospital. Thirty of them have suffered from cancer at the mouth of uterus.
Doctors suggest several steps for prevention of the disease. The practice of early marriage must stop, birth control, sexual faithfulness to spouses, non-smoking are the preventive measures suggested by doctors. There should be pap-tests after every three years.
Dr Latifa Shamsuddin, a professor at Gynaecology and Obs Department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib University Hospital, has discovered a new method, known as Via, to detect cancer at the mouth of uterus. Dr. Latifa says the Via test is simpler than the pap-test. It can be done easily."
Experts stressed the need for more grassroots level campaign to make people aware of this disease. Early detection can save many women and help live a healthy life.
— NewsNetwork