With February being both the month of love and Cancer awareness, the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA) is conducting outreaches and educational sessions about reproductive cancers to encourage that persons love themselves enough to see the value in getting tested.
The organisation will be offering promotions for services including free VIA, breast, prostate and testicular examinations as well as 50% discount on Pap smears, Blood Sugar testing, Hemoglobin testing, ECG and ultrasounds.
Beginning February 20th and ending February 24th, there will be 50% off HIV counselling and testing for couples, among other special offers.
Prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer in men but the GRPA has found that very few men come in for testicular exams for a number of reasons, including uncertainty and misinformation about the nature of the exam. Chelauna Providence, GRPA’s Programmes Director, assured that the testing done is non-intrusive and as it relates to prostate testing, only a blood test is required and results are delivered within 15 minutes.
Reproductive Cancers
Cervical cancer is the second most common to occur among Guyanese women and according to Chief Radiation Oncologist Dr Sayan Chakraborty, who spoke with this publication in June of last year, although it is a disease that usually occurs in the elderly portion of the female population, it is increasingly occurring among young women.
“What is important is that once women and girls are sexually active, they are at risk and one of the challenges I think we are having is young girls who are having their sexual debut at a very early age and are not getting tested,” Providence told Stabroek News.
Providence noted that members of this group are particularly vulnerable as their parents and peers are not usually privy to the fact that they are sexually active and she pointed out that it takes just about four to five years for the cancer to develop to a critical stage.
“And so, if you have girls as young as 13, 14 who are sexually active, by the time they’re 20, 21, or 25 and they’ve had their first gynecological visit, then they realise that they’ve advanced in stage,” she added.
Cervical cancer is caused by the Human papillomavirus (HPV) and while there is no test for detecting HPV, precancerous cells can be detected through screening. Visual inspection of cervix with acetic acid (VIA) testing for this purpose is offered for cervical cancer screening by GRPA and it is recommended that women, after their first exam, be tested every two years. If precancerous cells are detected, cryosurgery, which is used to treat external tumors, can be done right away.
Salena Clohisy, the coordinator of GRPA’s medical outreach, noted that the risk factors for cervical cancer include infection by the HPV virus, being sexually active at an early age and having multiple sex partners. HPV is transmitted through sexual intercourse and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in most cases it may go away on its own but can also develop into genital warts and cancer.
“Cervical cancer is high in Guyana and we really need a campaign to get people to come and be tested because early detection can save lives. And if you can get hold of the precancerous stage, it means that you don’t have to go through treatment,” GRPA’s Executive Director Patricia Bisnauth said.
Early detection
Bisnauth asserted that testing does not cost much but the cost and risks are very high if testing is not done.
In regards to men, it was emphasised that they too have an important role to play in preventing the spread of the HPV virus.
“An important note for men and boys is that they can carry the HPV virus which can cause women to develop cervical cancer, so if you have multiple sex partners and you’re having unprotected sex, it’s very likely that you do pick up the virus… So you can actually carry the HPV virus from one woman to another and that can cause that woman to be vulnerable to cervical cancer,” Providence noted, with Bisnauth adding: “The note to them is that multiple partners is very risky for their partner’s health and whilst they may be using a condom to prevent HIV and other STIs, they are not covered for HPV,” as HPV can infect skin not usually covered by a condom.
