CAMAGÜEY.- Cervical cancer is a very common condition in our media and is considered to occur in women of childbearing age, although the age group is decreasing. It was said by Dr. Gustavo Crespo Campo, 2nd Degree specialist in Gynecology and Obstetrics, Assistant Professor of Histology, with a diploma in Oncology Gynecology and Higher Medical Education, and head of the teaching department, of the provincial hospital of Oncology María Curie, of this city.
— Does it only appear in childbearing age?
— It is more frequent at that stage of life, but it arises even in menopause, in which they exceed 64 years old because of that characteristic of the papillomavirus that is stored between 16 and 20 years.
— If we take into account the ages of the majority, can they give birth after ...?
—According to the type of cancer, carcinoma in situ, is that it has not spread, and those women who have not given birth do have the possibility of having their child, but if the cancer is invasive it is different because they receive radio-chemotherapy.
—Which are the risk factors?
— Promiscuity related to the frequent change of sexual partners, which in our country abounds; when the first sexual relations happen in early ages, when this happens sooner, a cervical cancer appears; and the development of human papillomavirus (HPV) and condyloma acuminatum is another virus precursor to this type of cancer, but it can be easily detected because they always report having warts on their genitals.
— Is cervical cancer never hereditary?
— It can be. Formerly it was said that the essential cause was given by the direct transmission of the papillomavirus, today we talk about the mutant genes at the level of p53, which are those that keep neck cancer from generation to generation.
“It is good to keep in mind that cervical cancer has no face, and appears at a time in the life of immune-suppression of the female organism that is exposed to many moments of depression, such as: the first menstruation, the presence of it during every month, the first birth, the stress of life, sexual intercourse, all predisposing factors; however, the one that takes on its primary role is the papillomavirus. ”
— Mention the symptoms ...
— They are classics." Post-coitus bleeding, sustained, foul, yellow, bloody leukorrhea, and in more advanced stages the pain under the belly that can radiate.
— Is there any screening method before the symptoms?
—Through the vaginal cytology or Pap test *, as is known in the rest of the world. In Cuba it is done every three years between the ages of 25 to 64; in other countries they carry it out annually. Hence the importance that if the woman manifests any change or anomaly, from the point of view of the clinical manifestations described, she can and should go to her gynecologist, that alert is vital.
— Can it be avoided?
— In some way, if risk factors are avoided, that is, if you protect yourself with the condom, you select your partner and you are not sexually promiscuous and the proper driving of the doctor and family before a gynecological problem, although anyone can suffer of a cancer. Everyone should know that more than 95% of cases respond to papillomaviruses, other causes are immunological.
— Is this a health problem in Camagüey?
— No. We have more of endometrium and vulva.
— From your experience, do they arrive on time for consultation?
— Many arrive too late. Although they have the conditions at hand, such as consultations with specialists and the possibilities of being examined, they do not go to the doctor even for fear and that far from helping, complicates the situation, sometimes nothing or very little can be done and what remains are treatments to improve ytheir quality of life.
— Would it always have surgery?
— No. The decision is made depending on the clinical stage in which the disease is found. We apply it to stage Ib, and that is when it is circumscribed to the cervix. When it is able to cross the barrier and move forward in the development of its disease by taking the posterior ganglionic chains of the rectum, it is already in a stage II or IIb and above this we cannot move forward with surgery, then we carry out treatments concomitants, such as radio and chemotherapies and then medical follow-up every three months during the first year, semiannually in the second, and yearly from the third.
— Does it appear more according to skin color and social origin?
— Not because of the color of the skin, but it is a disease of underdeveloped countries, where the level of promiscuity is high, and there is food and vitamin deficiencies.
"The nutritional contribution is essential and a balanced diet is recommended for all types of cancer, in such a way that it offers a metabolic, electrolytic stability so that cells develop freely and are not attacked by external germs."
— Is it true that people with cancer cannot eat vitamins?
—That's a false theory. We recommend to our patients when they are exposed to radio-chemotherapy, to ingest calcium as a dietary supplement and others loaded with vitamins.
— How does radiotherapy work?
— With very good results, but it causes atrophy of the genitals, so the ovaries stop producing hormones, which leads to osteoporosis.
— If the lady is not promiscuous and her partner is or was?
— It's what we call the risk man. The man is a carrier of the papillomavirus and transmitter, while he rarely suffers it, and the woman receives it and suffers it. Housewives are the women most prone to this disease. Her husband has sex with others, arrives at her home, and downloads the transmission of that virus to his partner. Imagine that there are more than 150 strains of papillomavirus and the 16 and 18 are the most frequent. Camagüey has an investigation showing that 18 is the most assiduous.
— Do you have any exhortation?
— Follow the aforementioned indications, have a Pap test and, in case of any abnormality, go to the doctor, without forgetting that it is necessary to avoid excessive manipulation of the cervix during labor, and the abuse of pregnancy interruptions, which are used erroneously as a contraceptive method, these are capable of lacerating the epithelium of the cervix. When we have adolescents with neck pathology, at 30 they have cancer, which can be avoided with appropriate contraceptive measures.
* The Pap test, also called vaginal cytology, is a complementary examination that is performed to diagnose cervical cancer, named in honor of Georgios N. Papanikolaou or George Papanicolaou, the initial developer of it.
Translated by Linet Acuña Quilez