Oman recorded 40 cervical cancer cases among women in the age bracket of 25 to 65 years even though the cases are close to 3 per cent of all the cancer cases in the country. Experts say the number of cases can be avoided if timely care is taken and proper diagnosis is carried out as women between in this age bracket are prone to cervical cancer and early detection is vital. “Early diagnosis is crucial in cervical cancer just as it is the case in identifying any disease and it’s very easy to treat at the initial stage itself. A great percentage of cervical cancer cases can be avoided if women above 35 years of age undergo mammogram test at least once in two or three years so that early diagnosis is possible,” says Dr Thuria bint Rashid al Rawahiyah , Senior Consultant, Gynaecological Oncologist at the Royal Hospital.
Oman has a population of 1.06 million women aged 15 years and older who are at risk of developing cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer ranks the 3rd most frequent cancer among women in Oman and the 3rd most frequent cancer among women between 15 and 44 years of age.
Doctors said carrying out a pap smear test and making sure that she is free from cervical cancer is highly recommended for any woman above the age of 32.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will host the second edition of the Cervical Cancer Forum, virtually from January 27 to 28 discuss the establishment of sustainable and equitable cervical cancer and HPV eradication programmes, including in health crisis settings such as the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. It will also review the success of the ‘Sharjah Declaration on Cervical Cancer’ adopted by the debut edition of the Forum in 2019.
The two-day virtual Forum themed ‘Accelerating Action on HPV and Cervical Cancer’ aims at building on the success of the inaugural Cervical Cancer Forum held in Sharjah in 2019 and enjoys the support of local, regional and international health authorities, and centres of medical knowledge such as the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, International Atomic Energy Agency — IAEA, Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), and the World Health Organisation.
The Forum will allow active interaction among panelists, speakers and audience members, ensuring the efficiency of discussions and outcomes. It brings together pioneering actors and global stakeholders in the field including, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), global health Institutes and University Hospitals, pioneer researchers, and policymakers, media and communication experts and academia who will push the agenda of cervical cancer prevention and explore ways to foster collaboration, to address regional and national responses to HPV and cervical cancer in the Arab region more effectively.
Second Cervical Cancer Forum will propose a set of recommendations and a call for action that integrates the pillars of prevention, treatment, palliative care, and social aspects globally and specifically in the Arab region.
Cervical cancer caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) is the cause behind the death of nearly 7,600 women in the Arab region died from cervical cancer in 2020, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
UNFPA aims at mobilising greater support to combat this disease and we count on you in this mission. We want to create awareness so that the high mortality rate from cervical cancer can be reduced through a comprehensive approach that includes prevention, early diagnosis, effective screening, treatment programmes and palliative care.
Cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer affecting women with an estimated 570,000 new cases in 2018, representing 6.6 per cent of all female cancers globally. Approximately 90 per cent of deaths from cervical cancer occurred in low- and middle-income countries. It is estimated that deaths due to cervical cancer had reached around 11,000 deaths in 2018, in the east
Mediterranean region only. The high mortality rate from cervical cancer can be reduced through a comprehensive approach that includes prevention, early diagnosis, effective screening, treatment programmes and palliative care.
There are currently vaccines that protect against the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer, hence these vaccines can significantly reduce the risk of cervical cancer.
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