Women urged to go for ‘Pap Smears’ for early cancer detection

Women at the age of 21 and above have been advised to undergo screening for cervical cancer to detect potentially pre-cancerous and cancerous cells.

Known as Pap smear or a Pap test the screening procedure for cervical cancer helps in the detection of cancerous cells in the cervix.

Dr Theodore Boafor, a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), who gave the advice, said cervical cancer is difficult to treat when it is at its worse stage, hence the need for a regular medical screening is very necessary.

Dr Boafor, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the World Health Organization (WHO), recommends that every woman in her 40s must at least have a pap smear once in her life time; this is the minimum for early detection and treatment of cervical cancer.

He urged women to make it a point to undergo this type of medical screening as it would also help find other conditions, such as inflammation or infections.

The gynecologist also advised women to desist from taking in all kinds of herbal medicines in the name of treating fibroid due to the fear they had attached to the treatment.

Dr Boafor said fibroid requires medical diagnosis and treatment through surgery when it is causing problems such as excessive bleeding during menstruation, prolonged periods and pelvic pain, as well as when one is having a protruded tummy and could feel the fibroid moving.

He said fibroid is common among African women and many are being diagnosed with the condition, he said.

“Even in cases where one has been diagnosed with multiple fibroid it is not so huge a problem that people should be worried about as it is very manageable and not cancerous,” he said.

Dr Boafor urged women to do away with the myths and seek medical advice early to avoid future complications.