ISLAMABAD: In every 2 minutes, one woman loses her life due to cervical cancer worldwide as 500,000 cases and over 270,000 deaths have been reported annually, said Dr Ghazala Mehmood, a gynecologist at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences.
Addressing at a seminar titled “Cervical Cancer is Preventable” organized by Health Awareness Society here on Wednesday, Dr Ghazala said that cervical cancer is the second most prevalent and the third leading cause of cancer deaths among women, adding that Pakistan was rated 3rd with 11688 cases registered in 2008 where as Bangladesh stood 1st and India 2nd worldwide.
This cancer affects the cervix or the neck of the womb and was caused by a persistent infection of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), she said. “It is very common and easily transmissible,” she said. “Incidents of cervical cancer in Pakistan are on the rise but through screening and vaccination we can successfully fight this deadly disease”, she said.
Professor of Pediatrics at Child Hospital PIMS, Dr Tabish Hazir while addressing the seminar said Pakistan has moved from low risk to moderate-risk country for cervical cancer with gradually increasing cases with 19.5 per 100,000 in 2008 as compared to 9 per 100,000 in previous years.
