Sespa performs more than 80 preventive exams for cervical cancer

Maria Luiza Ribeiro, 56 years old, day laborer, went for the preventive exam, this Saturday morning (18), in the campaign for preventive exams of the cervix (PCCU) and biopsies promoted by the Maternal and Child Specialized Reference Unit (Uremia). According to the diarist, she takes the exam frequently to prevent the disease.

“I do the preventive every year and since there was a change in mine, I’m going to do the biopsy now. That’s why it’s important that all women do the preventive. My mother, who is 80 years old, never did the preventive and had cervical cancer, so , we need to be on our guard,” says Maria Luiza.

The action was carried out by the State Department of Public Health (Sespa), through the 1st Regional Health Center and the Maternal and Child Specialized Reference Unit (Uremia), in allusion to the March Lilac Campaign, for the prevention of cervical cancer. . The mutirão will also be held on March 25th, at Uremia, at Av. Alcindo Cacela, 1421, from 8 am to 3 pm.

On this first day of the joint effort, 78 preventive exams for cervical cancer and 14 biopsies were carried out, with 12 servers dedicated to the action.

Elane Oliveira, director of Uremia, explains that the initiative aims to sensitize women to carry out preventive tests frequently and provide guidance on cervical cancer. “Today, our doors are open, welcoming women of all ages to take a preventive exam of the cervix. If the doctor notices any changes, the patient will undergo a biopsy, the diagnosis will be made and the patient will be referred for treatment. In addition to the exams, we are also promoting lectures and guidance on how to prevent cancer”.

Patrícia Silva is 32 years old, she is already a Uremia patient and she cannot take the preventive test on the scheduled date, but with the joint effort she says she can keep her exams up to date.

“I work as an application driver and I ended up missing my appointment, so I took advantage of today’s joint effort to do my preventive. I know we have to do it every year, we never know what can happen, so we always need to stay informed about how to prevent diseases”, says Patrícia.

As March is considered Women’s Month, nothing is more appropriate than a campaign that warns of cervical cancer, a serious disease that, with early diagnosis, can be cured. It is a disease that affects many women in the country, especially in the North, where it is the second most common type of cancer.

Cervical cancer is a tumor that develops from changes in the cervix, which is located deep in the vagina. These changes are called precursor lesions, and they can be fully cured most of the time. If not treated, after many years they can turn into cancer.

Prevention – The preventive exam for cervical cancer is carried out in Basic Health Care. Women who have some type of alteration in their exams, such as high-grade lesions, are referred to medium and high complexity units of the state health network to undergo colposcopy and biopsy in order to have an early diagnosis and treatment.

In the State of Pará, in 2022, 534 cases of malignant neoplasm of the cervix and carcinoma in situ of the cervix (cervix) were registered. In 2021, there were 667 cases.

It is important to emphasize that preventive exams for cervical cancer are attributions of Primary Care, and must be guaranteed by municipal administrations. As needed, users are referred for treatment with surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy at Hospital Ophir Loyola (HOL) and at the High Complexity Units at Hospital Regional do Baixo Amazonas (HRBA) and Hospital Regional de Tucuruí (HRT), in addition to in oncology at the Federally Managed João de Barros Barreto University Hospital.

Vaccination – Vaccination against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause cancerous lesions, is still one of the main tools to prevent cervical cancer, and should be given to girls and boys aged 9 to 14 years.