Alexandra Trăilă, gynecologist specializing in oncological gynecology, discusses cervical cancer and HPV at Healthcare Trends, a weekly show on medical topics, made by Mediafax in partnership with Banca Transilvania, Division for doctors.
Cervical cancer is still a taboo subject in Romania, and in the absence of sex education in schools and after a vaccination campaign to prevent failed HPV, the future does not look promising. Romania was and remains the first place in the shameful top of the countries where cervical cancer dies every day.
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The lack of health and medical education has repercussions on the lives of many women in Romania. Unfortunately, cervical cancer, undetected in time and untreated, leads to death. 7 out of 10 Romanians have never had a test for HPV (statistics for 2016, INSP).
What are the most common types of cancer in women?
Breast cancer, endometrial cancer, cervical cancer are the most common, says the doctor. “Among the malignant pathologies (cancer n.red.) I think that, unfortunately, I most often meet patients with cervical cancer, it is a pathology that in Romania has an increased incidence compared to well-developed countries.”
Alexandra Trăilă recommends that women go to the doctor early, with precancerous lesions, ie with cervical dysplasias, and not to postpone the gynecological consultation until they reach an advanced stage of the disease.
What is the HPV virus?
HPV or human papilloma virus is a sexually transmitted virus that causes genital and oropharyngeal warts in both women and men. “Patients should know that HPV infection does not necessarily mean the appearance of a disease, half of the patients who are positive for HPV will be negative after 6 months, and at one year 70% will be negative. Only 20% of them will have the virus after two years without any treatment “, explains the specialist.
Although the statistics are bleak, there is good news: the HPV vaccine. The doctor recommends that patients be informed from reliable sources and that they do not fall into the trap of vaccinators.
In addition, “a cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence. Fortunately, all gynecological-oncological pathologies have a good prognosis if they are detected in time “, says doctor Alexandra Trăilă, who talks about prevention, testing, screening and the type of controls that must be done annually.
In short, for cervical cancer there is screening and Pap smear, for ovarian cancer – an annual ultrasound detects any suspicious formation. Also for breast cancer – a breast cancer screening, an ultrasound, an annual mammogram, depending on the patient’s age.
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