January marks the month of cervical cancer awareness worldwide — a type among tumors that is highly common, ranking number two among mortality factors in women.

The Breast Cancer Foundation in Egypt (BCFE) has seized the opportunity to launch a campaign encouraging women to know more about the dangers of cervical cancer, dubbed the silent killer, including the long absence of symptoms, the risk factors attributed to it, and what women can do to minimise their chances of falling victim to it.

"It is time to fully understand that early detection through regular pap tests leads to a very high probability of total cure, while currently available vaccines can actually protect the female from a very early age," says Dr Mohamed Shaalan, professor of surgical oncology and head of the Prevention and Early Detection Unit at the National Cancer Institute.

Shaalan says that although the main factor known until now to be the primary cause of cervical cancer is a sexually transmitted virus called HPV, there are four risk factors that should be considered by every woman, and these are:

1.      Smoking. This increases the risk by 0.4 percent.

2.      Giving birth to three or more children.

3.      Having an immunity health problem that leaves the body incapable of fighting infections, among which is HIV, the virus causing AIDS.

4.      Having used the contraceptive pill as a means of birth control for longer than five years.

Although it is a very severe form of cancer, women can follow five steps to help prevent the occurrence of cervical cancer, stresses Dr Shaalan. He lists them as follows:

1.      Stay away from smoking.

2.      Spread the word of the importance of regular pap (smear) tests for early detection, ideally every three years starting from the age 21.

3.      Girls ranging from the age of nine to 21 should take the HPV vaccine, which is available at VACSERA Egypt and requires three doses over six months. Another option is a vaccine that can be administered to females as well as males.

4.      Women should consult with a physician in case of the occurrence of any abnormal discharge or bleeding.

5.      Safe sex is a vital measure of prevention.

According to the World Health Organisation, cervical cancer is the second cause of cancer-related mortality in women worldwide, and the second most common type of cancer. A whopping 80 percent of cases are in developing countries, largely because of a lack of awareness.

In Egypt, there is no national statistics regarding this type of cancer. Nevertheless, according to Spanish Catalonia Institute of Oncology, statistics announced in 2012 sugges that among Egyptian women above the age of 15, 29.48 million are at risk of developing cervical cancer.

In Egypt, Around 866 women are diagnosed each year with the cancer, among whom 373 die from the disease.

Cervical cancer is the 13th most frequent cancer among females and the 10th most frequent cancer between the ages of 15 and 44.