Sharjah: A senior health professional on Saturday called for a more robust screening programme for girls and young women in the UAE that would help bring down the number of cervical cancer cases.
Dr Kausar Mansour Baig, senior sonsultant and head of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department at University Hospital Sharjah (UHS), said: “It was internationally recognised and recommended that women aged up to 25 be screened for the cancer and that the same practices should be followed here in the UAE.”
Cervical cancer is one of the five main cancers among women in the UAE after breast cancer, liver, colorectal and stomach cancer.
Dr Baig, a recognised senior consultant in the field of obstetrics, gynaecology and women’s issues, said it was essential to set up a national programme in the UAE.
Screening has helped prevent mortality cases due to cancers of the breast, colon, rectum and cervix, according to the Health Authority Abu Dhabi-HAAD, which already has an established screening programme. Other emirates are expected to establish similar programmes in the very near future.
The doctor is also a specialist in colposcopy and will be performing the procedure at UHS for women who need to be further tested if a pap smear finds abnormal changes in the cervix cells.
It is a simple procedure and is done with a magnifying device called a colposcope that gives a better and enlarged view of the cervix to the physician. A very tiny tissue sample will be taken for laboratory tests if there is any abnormality.
The device can help detect any disease also in the cervix and the vulva.
Dr Baig said colposcopy should be done if the cervix is bleeding or there is a painful sensation or if there is unusual growth.
According to international health experts, the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine helps prevent 70 per cent of cervical cancer cases. Experts also recommend that vaccinations against HPV should also be given to boys between the ages of 15 and 17, as the condition is also associated with male reproductive organs.
