QCS launches campaign to raise awareness about cervical cancer

Qatar Cancer Society (QCS) has launched a month-long campaign titled ‘Darbek Khadar 2’ to raise awareness about cervical cancer. Through the campaign, women can do Pap Smear test free in Al Emadi Hospital after getting a coupon from QCS.QCS will organise a closing ceremony of the campaign on January 30 at its headquarters. The ceremony will include a cooking show, lectures and awareness workshops. Also present on the occasion will be health educators from QCS to answer questions from the participants. In addition, women who did Pap Smear test will enter the draw and win prizes. Heba Nasser, head of the Health Education Department at QCS, said that cervical cancer is ranked fifth among the most common cancers in females in Qatar, as per the statistics from the National Cancer Registry of the  Ministry of Health.Cervical cancer is ranked fourth at the level of prevalence, number of new cases, and death among all cancers in females worldwide according to World Health Organisation (WHO) Cancer Statistics 2018  and one in every 73 women worldwide will develop cervical cancer over the course of her lifetime according to WHO statistics 2018.QCS is holding awareness lectures and workshops involving the country’s diverse sectors to raise awareness of the symptoms of the disease, the factors responsible for it as well as methods of prevention and cure. Nasser noted that cervical cancer is the abnormal growth of the cervical cells, the lower part of uterus. Cervical cancer can affect any woman and especially between the age of 20 and 50 and one of most common cancers in women worldwide.According to Nasser, risk factors for the disease include human papillomavirus infection, smoking, recurrent cervical infections, family history, having given birth to three or more children, using birth control pills for a long time and lack of screening. Cervical cancer often does not show symptoms until it is in an advanced stage. So it is important to start early detection tests regularly even when one is healthy.She noted that the Pap test is a simple one and the best time to do the test is 10-14 days from the first day of menstruation. The first Pap test should be done after three years of marriage if the age is 21 years or above. After the first Pap test, women should go for the test every three years until the age of 65. After 65, the test can be stopped if the last three Pap tests are normal. Pap tests can be done in most of the health centres of Primary Health Care Corporation.