CERVICAL CANCER PREVENTION IN AFRICA: A NECESSITY
By Dr. Karim Elmasry, Consultant Gynecological Oncologist and Dr Saad Ghazal-Aswad, Sr. Consultant & Chief Gynecology Oncology Division, Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, UAE
BACKGROUND Cancer kills more people worldwide than HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB combined. Whilst cancer is often thought of as a disease of the developed and industrialized nations, more than half of new cancer cases occur in developing countries. By 2020 there are expected to be 15 million new cases of cancer every year, 70% of which will be in developing countries (see figure 1).
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Cervical cancer is the most common cause of cancer and the leading cause of cancer related deaths in Africa. Globally there are over 500,000 new cases of cervical cancer annually and in excess of 270,000 deaths. Around the world a woman dies of cervical cancer every two minutes; 85% of cases occur in developing countries. Cervical cancer is a largely preventable disease through vaccination and screening programmes; incidence and
mortality rates have declined substantially in Western countries following the introduction of screening programmes. Screening programmes in Africa, are however, often basic or non-existent. Instigating such schemes across Africa would save millions of lives.
NATURAL HISTORY OF THE DISEASE HPV infection is a major cause of
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