Salud para todas: una campaña de cribado del cáncer de cuello uterino en la Amazonia – Blog

That no woman dies from cervical cancer. This is the objective of a program that the remote community of the Amazon HPV and cheap HPV tests.

Silvia de Sanjosé is a researcher in Isglobal and coordinator of the Pavement consortium (HPV and automated visual evaluation), which promotes a program to control cervical cancer in low -income populations. Here he shares his notes of a campaign on the banks of the Amazon.

Tracing the Amazon

We start from Belém, in the state of Paraá, and trace the Amazon to the west. Our destiny is BRIEFA municipality whose number of inhabitants is not clear: between 50,000 and 100,000. Today starts a second cervical cancer screening campaign on the shores of the Amazon. The first was held two months ago in the Remote town of San Gabriel And it was a success of participation.

I am accompanied by Federica Inturrisi, Epidemioga and an expert in technological evaluation for the detection of HPV, and 27 professionals from the framework group of the framework of the framework of the Fiocruz FoundationEmbarked in Brasilia with all the necessary equipment for an early detection campaign of precancerous cervix lesions.

The project uses vaginal samples collected by women themselves to detect the HPV virus, select the positive ones, carry out biopsies and treat those who need it

The project will use Vaginal samples Collected by women themselves to detect HPV virusWill select the positiveWill carry a end biopsies AND will try a one that needed it. This will be done by two gynecologists with the help of four nurses, three laboratory technicians who will set up the street and personal laboratory for recruitment. Our goal is Reach 500 women. The transport of personnel and material is supported by the military fellow of the Parara region, which helps in humanitarian interventions. We will take two days to arrive from Brasilia.

Women who have been waiting for months

Heat and humidity intense child. Women arrive. The vast majority know how to read and written, and ask some questions. The project is explained and how Take a teacher. Many come with their babies or children. After two or three hours, the HPV results They are ready and the positive for the triage and treatment visit. One negatives are sent an SMS.

The triage visit It implies a gynecological review. Those that have an obvious or an infectious lesion by HPV of higher risk receive thermal ablation. This procedure does not tuma more than 40 seconds and is very well tolerated. Offers women a Immediate Treatment of Precancerous Injuries. Women spend the consultation with peace of mind. Many have been waiting for months of their last cytology or a monitoring visit of their abnormal Pap smear. It seems that the problem of many of them is The origin of this sexually transmitted infection and the impact that this information can have on your partner. From the Consultsa we try to emphasize the Chance That we are offering.

13 hours in boat to vaccine your HJA

The first day we screen 136 women. In one of the consultations I attend, the woman has watched during 13 hours in a small boat to vaccinate your HJA of HPV. Many will also come from their riverside houses a few hours away. The triage visits begin at one in the afternoon, when we already have all the resulting the laboratory. We end up at about 10 at night, What sign 12 hours in a row, but all the positive ones have returned! Only one had to leave because his ship could not take it.

In one of the consultations I am attending, the woman has wiggled for 13 hours in a small boat to HPV vaccinated her daughter

Mosquitoes come every afternoon. The repellent helps, but not always. The rain falls torrentialme every day for a few minutes. Everything is paralyzed, but in little for the rain.

Boca to mouth success

The week passes, and the Boca to mouth It makes more women come to screen every day. We only have two gynecologistsThey will tend to visit 25% of women for being HPV positive. Brazil does not authorize that nursing staff perform the triage or take biopsies. This will be our bottleneck.

Our activity comes out in the local media and the Prefecture and the Ministry of Health are very satisfying of the success of this total management intervention by Ana Ribeiro’s team and Tania Raiol of Brasilia. Both, in close collaboration with Ana Cecilia Rodríguez and Mark Schiffman, Epidemiums of the National Institute of Cancer. UU., Have been brewing the solution for years to Reduce the impact of HPV on populations with very limited access to preventive health.

The challenge of not seeing more cases of cancer

Today MCS, 34 years old and mother of three children, comes with an advanced injury detected three years ago. He is waiting for them to call her for treatment. The gynecological review reveals A possible cancer. HPV 16 is the cause. We finished the day with KFA, 44 years and thirteen children. It has some suspicious symptom, but it is in good general condition. The review reveals that Cancer is extended throughout the cervical region. HPV 16 is present. It is devastating.

Our goal is not to see these cases. On the contrary, what we are looking for is Precursor identifiers that can be treated in a rapid and effective way, and avoid all the sad process that these women will follow with cancer.

What we are looking for is to identify precursor lesions that can be treated in a rapid and efficient way, and avoid all the sad process that these maleres with cancer will follow

After a delogue fall when we see these cases, we reinforce ourselves to see that there are still many women who wait for us to be visited. In five days We have screen more than 800. Of these, 186 have received a colposcopy and 98% of those of what has been treated. In six months The Equugo will return to make a control visit and to check the level of curació achieved.

Research bear fruit

Once again we find that research Predict and estimates the level of predictive risk and cervical cancer with high precision. The risk is linked to the different types of HPV. In this work we could predict with great precision who would tend an injury and who does not Just seeing the result in HPV. In addition, in the coming weeks the field work will be incorporated Evaluacy of cervical images Artificial intelligence media, which will even refine this prediction. The preliminary results of the miy -encouraging pavement consortium of the success of this

The risk is linked to the different types of HPV. In this work we could predict with great precision who would tend an injury and who not only converts those resulting from HPV

We have exceeded the number of scrusted women expected, although we had to crave the demand. Organizing these campaigns in collaboration with the Ministries of Health is a raspid and cost-effective path that can Save the lives of many women a often forgotten. We hope that their daughters grow vaccinated and with such a diminished risk of cervical cancer that these Cascammas are not necessary in the future.

Back home, grateful to have particy in this campaign, it is difficult for me to fit all the privileges I have. I only have to be guided, sin to forget the Amazon and everything that hides This immense garden.