VietNamNet Bridge – The number of women diagnosed with cervical cancer is on the rise in Viet Nam, it was revealed at a meeting in Ha Noi on Monday.

A doctor examines a patient at Hospital K in Ha Noi. About 13 women in every 100,000 have been diagnosed with cervical cancer, the chief cause of death among women in the country. (Photo: VNS)

Can Tho now has the highest rate of new cases with 21.5 women diagnosed with cervical cancer per 100,000 women.

The second highest rate was seen in HCM City and the third in Ha Noi.

According to experts, mortality rates for women diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer are forecast to increase by 25 per cent in the next ten years if no new methods of intervention, prevention and treatment are developed.

Among those currently fighting the cancer are PATH – an international non-profit organisation co-operating with the Ministry of Health's Mother-Child Health Department.

PATH plans to launch screening models for the early detection and treatment of cervical pre-cancer in Thanh Hoa, Hue and Can Tho provinces. The launch could save the lives of thousands of women with the cancer, said experts.

Mona Byrkit, country director of PATH Viet Nam said the screening models had been proven to be feasible and are supported by providers and women. Thus they would create a screening programme in Viet Nam.

As estimated more than 70,000 women aged 35–60 had received examinations for cervical cancer in many localities since 2008, she said.

The results showed that 73 per cent had symptoms of cervical disease and 14 per cent of cases involved invasive cervical cancer.

Although cervical cancer is preventable when discovered early, it is now one of the most common types of cancer in Vietnamese women.

Figures from the Institute for Cancer Prevention at five cancer prevention centres nationwide show that nearly 54 per cent of patients first front up at hospital for treatment of cervical cancer during the disease's terminal phase.

"One of the reasons is that women do not know it is necessary to undergo periodic examinations for cervical cancer," she said.

To reduce the number of cases, vaccinations against cervical cancer are also advised for women before they start having sexual relations.

Cervical cancer starts in the cervix, the lower part of the uterus (womb) that opens at the top of the vagina.

Almost all cervical cancers are caused by HPV (human papilloma virus). HPV is a common virus spread through sexual intercourse.

Cervical cancer is the second most common type of cancer in women world-wide. Breast cancer is the first.

It is estimated that around 520,000 women have cervical cancer worldwide and 274,000 of them will die from the disease. Eighty per cent of these deaths occur in developing countries.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News