As part of efforts to boost early detection and treatment of cancer in women, Medical Director, LuViva Cervical Scan Centre, Dr. Bayo Windapo, has launched an advanced cervical cancer test in Africa.
Windapo, who spoke at the inauguration of the LuViva Cervical Scan and Wellness Centre in Yaba, Lagos, on Monday, said Nigeria was the first country in Africa to have the diagnostic machine.
LuViva is a patient friendly and painless test for early detection of diseases that lead to cervical cancer. According to him, cervical cancer is one of the few cancers that could be treated when detected early; hence, the need for advanced cancer diagnostic machines in health facilities could not be over-emphasised.
Windapo said, “Cervical cancer is a slow-growing cancer. It starts from the epithelia layer of the cervix before it gets to the top. If women could take this scan early, we can catch the human papilloma virus early and quickly excise the affected part before it spreads to the other layers of the cervix.
“The earlier we pick these pre-cancer cells, the more effective the surgery and we will also reduce the chances of the infection spreading to other parts of the body.”
The expert also noted that there was the need to increase public awareness on the causes and nature of the infection among Nigerian women.
Windapo stated, “I have been in practice for over 22 years and I discovered that awareness on cervical cancer is very low in Nigeria and it is people with low socio-economic power that are most affected. For obvious reasons, poor people are the ones likely not to spend their meagre income on health challenges.”
He, however, noted that poor hygiene was a factor that predisposes women to cervical cancer infection.
He said, “As you do facials for the face and pedicure for the feet, you should also take care of your private part to avoid being infected. Poor vaginal hygiene has a role to play in HPV infection which, in 70 per cent of the cases, causes cervical cancer.”
Windapo added that to reduce infection, government should also include HPV vaccine in the national routine immunisation programmes for all Nigerian girls below the age of 15 and also provide screening facilities in public hospitals.
BY BUKOLA ADEBAYO
Punch
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