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Cervical cancer: Nothing beats early detection
Varaidzo Tagwireyi, Kubatana.net
July 18, 2013

Quite recently, after almost a week of gradually increasing discomfort and pain, (which culminated in sheer backbreaking agony), I was diagnosed, with a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). Now, I can only imagine all the questions this revelation has prompted you to ask, and I'm sure I may have already lost some readers with my opening sentence. I mean, what does this girl's UTI have to do with the cervical cancer mentioned in the title of this article? Well, I'm going to need you to stick with me. This is one of those stories where it all comes together somewhere between the middle and the end.

Last week Thursday/Friday, I started to feel strange. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I just knew all was not well in my insides. I spent much of the weekend in sheer agony, and by Monday morning, was desperate to go visit my doctor.

Well you see, the week before, I had undergone the latest screening procedure for cervical cancer, called Visual Inspection with Ascetic Acid and Cerviography (VIAC). The procedure, in practice, works and feels much like a Pap smear, with the major difference being that one gets instant results. So, rather than walking into your OBGYN, getting samples taken, taking these to a lab for analysis, and then getting your results a week or so later, those undergoing VIAC know within about 20 or so minutes whether cancer cells are present, with photographs even being taken of the cervix as visual confirmation of the patient's condition. As the exam was conducted on me, I had hopes of writing an inspiring article demystifying the recently launched procedure, and encouraging readers to get the exam done as I had done.

As my doctor thoroughly examined me, I explained all the private details of how the procedure had been conducted; even expressing fears that maybe one of the instruments used had been forgotten inside by accident. I even thought that whatever was happening to me might jeopardize my chances of having more children, or might in fact be cancer manifesting in a different way. I was scared and my over-active imagination wasn't helping. She smiled and went on tell me that I had contracted a Urinary Tract Infection, answered all my questions and started me on a course of the necessary medication. I can't begin to describe the sense of relief I felt, knowing that I would soon be back to normal. At several points during this visit, I agonized over how and why such a simple, catchy story, that was basically going to write itself, had become so complicated and difficult to finish. I thought of giving up on the story, but now, equipped with the knowledge that I would make a full recovery within a week or so, I was more determined than ever to write my story.

As I later sat in bed, thinking about how I would finish writing this story, I thought about the women who might have gone through this same test only to discover that the cancer had reached so advanced a stage that nothing could be done for them. Unlike me, writhing in pain due to a temporary condition, such women would be in far more excruciating pain, with little or no hope of a cure or recovery. My pain and discomfort would dissipate within a week, but these women's pain would likely worsen until they eventually succumbed to the cancer. Thinking this way may seem strange, but it helped me to appreciate how fortunate I was. The diagnosis I was given pales in comparison to what the women who have cancer are told by their doctors, especially as many women only go to the doctor when the pain has become quite unbearable. Sadly, by the time one starts to feel pain, the cancer is usually at an advanced stage.

There are several reasons why cervical cancer is now the leading cause of death among women in Sub-Saharan Africa, and I believe chief among these is late detection of the disease. When healthcare practitioners say that if the disease is caught early enough, it can be cured, they are really sharing a vital, life-saving piece of information, which for some reason seems to be falling on deaf ears.

There appears to be a culture among Zimbabwean and other African women that says it is more admirable for a woman to be brave and bear the pain, than seek medical help early, which is what cancer treatment calls for. Over and above that, there exists a culture among the majority of Zimbabweans of only seeking medical attention when the symptoms of whatever illness have become quite bad. This creates an atmosphere where going to the doctor for a cancer screen, when there is absolutely wrong, (as we are being encouraged to do), may be considered a waste of valuable time and resources by women themselves, as well as their families. There is a clear need for a change in these mindsets as well as in women's health-seeking behavior, for us to have a real fighting chance against the disease.

My doctor's explanation of how the UTI infection had spread through my organs closely mirrored my understanding of how cervical cancer spreads. I finally understood the importance of being a few steps ahead of bad news cancer can bring, by knowing what is happening in my body before it is too late for anything meaningful to be done for me. You see, infections of the urinary tract begin when, for any number of reasons, bacteria is introduced to the urethra, soon spreading to the bladder and even up to the kidneys if untreated. So in much the same way, cervical cancer starts with tiny specks of pre-cancerous cells that can be frozen and removed quite easily, if detected early. However, if the cancer cells are not detected, isolated and contained early enough, they can invade the entire cervix, and other surrounding organs. There are no words to aptly describe the pain associated with cervical cancer and its aggressive management, once it has been detected late. Cervical cancer survivor Sabina Mano, founder of Joshua Child Foundation Trust, describes it as "an indescribable pain".

If someone told me right now that I would have to go through this agony every time I have a cervical cancer screen, I would still go ahead and do it, because I'd rather have this perfectly common and curable infection, and know that I am cancer free, than have cancer quietly creep through and gradually eat away at me from the inside until it is at so advanced a stage that nothing, nowhere, can be done to help me. I also want to thank the nurses who conducted my VIAC exam, despite what ended up happening. I'll see you in 2 years Sisters L&S.

So, let's go and get tested girls! It may be uncomfortable, inconvenient, awkward, painful, or even lead to minor infection, as in my rare case, but it's worth it.

Early Detection Saves Lives!

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