EACH year, nearly 530,000 new cases of cervical cancer are detected globally, claiming the lives of approximately 266,000 women. With an estimated 100 deaths annually, this disease is the leading cause of cancer mortality among women in Guyana.Among Caribbean countries, Guyana ranks highest with an incidence rate of 46.9 and a mortality rate of 21.0 per 100,000 persons. According to a 2007 review conducted by the Cancer Registry of Guyana, cervical cancer was significantly more prevalent among Indigenous women in Guyana.

Cervical cancer, a cancer arising from the cervix, is linked to several risk factors, mainly the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), chlamydia infection, early sexual activity, and multiple sexual partners.
In continuing the fight against cervical cancer, the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA), in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Georgetown and with funding from Scotia Bank to the tune of $1.2M, has launched an extensive campaign to screen more than 500 women in vulnerable communities across the country. The campaign will conclude in December, and the cheque was handed over to the GRPA earlier this week.

In addition to screening and treating women, the GRPA will be holding educational sessions intended to promote healthy lifestyles.

GRPA Executive Director Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth, in an exclusive interview with the Chronicle, said late detection of cervical cancer is a major problem in Guyana, and it is linked to lack of access to testing and screening services, primarily in rural and hinterland communities.

“Many women in rural and hinterland areas do not have access to these facilities. Testing often takes approximately two weeks, you get the results, then you get the treatment; and sometimes women don’t come back. When it is in the hinterland and rural areas, it is even worse,” she explained.

In rolling out its campaign, the GRPA will be particularly targeting and treating women in Regions 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9 and 10; but Mrs Sheerattan-Bisnauth is advocating that all sexually active women be tested or screened for cervical cancer via pap smear, which is a cytology test; or by visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), which is an evidence-based alternative approach that is considered to be safe, effective, feasible, and highly acceptable.

“VIA is a single-visit approach. You come in for screening and straight away you get your results, and you can be treated immediately in one single visit…. With this type of testing, you can see early signs of pre-cancerous cells,” she explained.

Sheerattan-Bisnauth pointed out that cervical cancer is almost 100% preventable, but she emphasised that it must be detected early, and pre-cancerous lesions must be treated.

In 2009, the Health Ministry had introduced a National Policy and Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Cervical Cancer, with several health facilities being organised to provide this service. This move sought to make screening for cervical cancer more accessible to women.

In June 2014, the GRPA with support from the International Planned Parenthood Association and an affiliate of the John-Hopkins University, and in collaboration with the Health Ministry and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), had followed up to strengthen this service. GRPA had carried out a regional training of VIA providers from Belize, Grenada, Trinidad & Tobago, St Lucia, Curacao, Suriname and Guyana. This included training for four Guyanese and Surinamese doctors as VIA trainers , to detect cervical cancer and to treat pre-cancerous cells.

GRPA had used the occasion of successful completion of the training to launch its VIA Screening and Cryo-Surgery services at its Georgetown Clinic located on Quamina Street. Two hundred and thirty women were screened, 12% (27 women) were tested positive, three had large lesions, and two were cancer cases and were referred.

On an average month (without campaign), about 50 women would seek cervical cancer services at the GRPA.

By Svetlana Marshall