2023-04-26 19:05:19
- Cervical cancer is already the second oncological cause in Mexican women.
- Every minute and a half causes a death in the world.
- Roche México made a donation to ISSSTE of 4,000 self-sample tests to detect HPV.
Tumors continue to increase in our country and one of the many problems is that most cases are diagnosed in advanced stages. When this happens, it is more difficult to offer adequate treatment to patients. With this in mind, within the wide range of neoplasms that exist, the Cervical cancer is one of the fastest growing nationwide.
Innovative method to detect HPV
To put it in context, it is currently the second cause of cancer in women and, if it is not treated, it could become the first. Therefore, the Institute of Security and Social Services of State Workers (Issste) made available to the central office workers, as a first stage, two thousand self-take tests (known as Evalyn brush) of four thousand in total that were donated by Roche Mexico laboratories
From the above, there is a clear objective. What is sought is to detect as soon as possible the human papilloma virus (HPV)the main risk factor for contracting this disease.
The general director of the institute, Pedro Zenteno Santaella, pointed out that this condition is highly curable if detected early with HPV screening. It is a key tool to reduce the risk of developing the disease and prevent its progression. Hence the importance of this type of campaigns to save lives.
“At the institute, 60 percent of the staff are women and access to this type of test for free is essential. Prevention is very important, and at ISSSTE we are focused on it”.
The country manager of Roche Diagnostics Mexico, João Carapeto, pointed out that this action reaffirms the commitment to the health of Mexican women. She added the value of a timely diagnosis and the impact to change the projections of cervical cancer mortality.
“Currently, innovation in diagnosis allows us to have tools such as HPV DNA tests that have a sensitivity of 90 percent and, being self-sample tests, empower women’s access to health.”
The department head of the General Directorate of ISSSTE, Rocío Thompson Bonilla, highlighted that the HPV-associated cancer morbidity and mortality at the Institute went from 1,150 cases with 14 deaths in 2017 to 2,079 records and 15 deaths in 2022.
Main risk factors
The institute’s biomedical researcher also explained that the risk factors for contracting this type of cancer are: HPV, HIV, diabetes, obesity, smoking, number of pregnancies and sexual partners, early onset of active sexual life, long-term use of oral contraceptives, and persistent infections.
He also pointed out protection measures such as: improving genital hygiene, avoiding infections with sexually transmitted agents, performing the Papanicolaou test with the recommended frequency, as well as the HPV molecular test, annual check-up, vaccination and personal self-care exercising sexuality in a safe.
The normative coordinator of the Directorate of Economic and Social Benefits of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS), Olga Georgina Martínez Montañez, stressed that a woman dies from cervical cancer every minute and a half in the world and, in Mexico, every two hours. The average age of death is 58.8 years. The State of Mexico is the entity with the highest mortality from this disease and Baja California Sur is the lowest.
Informing that the IMSS implemented the molecular HPV self-sample as a pilot test in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua —in which 35,000 women between 35 and 64 years old participated— he urged to work together to avoid unnecessary deaths derived from socioeconomic inequality and stigma . No woman should ever die of cervical cancer, she noted.
During the presentation of the donation of self-tests for the detection of HPV by Roche Mexico, which consists of a first delivery of two thousand tests in central offices, and the same for the San Fernando offices, it was explained that the Evalyn brush ( validated in studies directed at different population groups) is a single-use cylindrical plastic vaginal cell autosampling device, with a total length of 175 mm and a diameter of approximately 13 mm.
Its use increases the participation rate, since it is aimed at women who, due to their work and personal activities, cannot attend medical units. Self-takes can be done at home, are easy to use and have a step-by-step process to avoid mistakes. The quality of the sample is equal to that collected by a doctor.
In the case of the ISSSTE, the workers will be able to go for their self-sucking device at various times, so they have the facility to carry out the test in spaces where they feel comfortable, including their homes, and later deposit the brush with the corresponding sheet of paper in a container located in the “Lázaro Cárdenas” Auditorium of central offices that will be there for a week. Once the results are obtained, they will be shared in a personalized and confidential way with the participants. Those who test positive will be referred to the medical units for diagnosis and treatment.
Also read:
HPV causes one death every 2 hours from cervical cancer
The first blood test to detect cervical cancer arrives in Mexico
Cervical cancer, why is it common in low-income women?
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