BAGUIO CITY – An official of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) confirmed the increasing number of cervical cancer cases seeking medical attention from the premier hospital in Northern Luzon.
Dr. Jimmy A. Billod, Medical Officer IV of the BGHMC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, said there are 50 new cases of cervical cancer seeking medical attention from the hospital annually which is in addition to those who have already sought medical interventions over the past several years.
“Eighty percent of females with cervical cancer seeking medical attention are already on the advanced stages but what is important is cervical cancer can be prevented and treated,” Billod stressed.
Further, 60 percent of those females with cervical cancer are married while the rest of those seeking medical interventions for similar ailments are single or those who have unprotected sex.
According to him, initial symptoms of cervical cancer include intermittent menstrual period, unnecessary bleeding and unusual vaginal discharges.
The medical officer called on females to make sure that they seek immediate medical attention from the nearest health facility when experiencing such symptoms so that they can detect whether or not they are experiencing the initial stages of cervical cancer.
Aside from undergoing the traditional popsmear from the different public and private health facilities regularly, Billod advised females to subject themselves to the visual assessment through the use of acetic acid in order to ascertain the extent of the damage inflicted by the cancer cells to the cervix.
Billod explained the increase of 50 cervical cancer patients annually is based on the number of females seeking medical attention from the hospital and it does not include those females that seek attention from private clinics in the different parts of the city.
Billod explained cervical cancer can be prevented once such illness is detected at the earliest possible stage through the cooperation of the patient and that the same can also be given the appropriate treatment even if the cancer will be on its advance stages, thus, the need for female to subject themselves to regular check-up with their physicians or from the nearest health facility in their respective places.
For the past several years, Billod reported that the number of cervical cancer patients is increasing and the same is primarily caused by unprotected sex with infected partners.
He said females wanting to seek medical attention regarding the state of their cervix can freely visit the BGMC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology for the conduct of the necessary procedures to ascertain the stages of their illnesses for the prescription of the needed procedures and medications for the cure of such illness, thus, family members of those suffering from cervical cancer must understand the situation of those suffering from such illness for them to be able to immediately recover as it has been proven that those who have the moral support of their families can easily hurdle the situation where they are in.
By Dexter A. See
