Pap Smear: Early Diagnose of Cervical Cancer
BANDUNG, itb.ac.id - Nowadays, people are aware of their health. Maintaining health is including healthy diet. This is important since there is a significant development of pathogen: virus and bacteria, also free radicals that can attack humans no matter their ages and sexes are. Today, cancer can attack anyone. Cancer is the condition when the cells are splitting abnormally and it can happen in a healthy tissue then move from one organ to another. One of the cancers that is really concerning in Indonesia is cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer is the condition in cervix where the cells are splitting abnormally. Cervical cancer is caused by Human Pappiloma Virus (HPV) and has been known quite a while but the treatment was discovered at the early 20th century. Indonesian women shall be aware of it since there are 50 new cases every day and there is one woman who dies every hour.
Besides HPV, there are other things that cause cervical cancer: consuming alcohol and smoking (either actively or passively). This disease is one of sexually transmitted diseases. Despite all of the facts, Indonesian women's awareness of cervical cancer is still low unlike the women from developed countries like USA or Australia. In Indonesia, most of the patients come to the doctor too late so the treatment is already impossible. So, the prevention is needed to decrease the mortality rate.
One of the preventions that can be done is pap smear test. The test requires the sample of cell in cervix. The cell then will be analyzed to detect the unusual growth of cell. The test also can detect the presence of Human Pappiloma Virus. If it shows positive result at the end, the treatment shall be done as soon as possible, such as chemotherapy. Besides pap semar test, HPV vaccination is also suggested to any woman to maintain the growth of cells. Conventional pap is the regular test using liquid based cytology which is the tool to take the sample.
To prevent the risk of cervical cancer, Health Office of ITB together with Indonesian Foundation of Cancer held pap smear test. The test was held on Monday-Wednesday (11-13/5/15) at 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in obstetric and gynecology clinic of Bumi Medika Ganesha ITB. The participants are women at the age of 25-45 years who are already married. The test is free for one hundred ITB's female employees. There are many employees who came so it showed that their awareness was high enough.
Pap smear test is suggested to married woman especially the ones who have given birth. The cervical cancer can detect sooner if the test is done once in six months. The woman who wants to take the test is better not in pregnancy or in menstruation period and has not had sexual relationship in the past three days.
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