The Polish Coalition to Fight Cervical Cancer wants to start a fashion for visiting a gynecologist. She hopes that this will lead to more women getting cervical smear tests to detect cervical cancer earlier.
The RSM coalition has started work on a draft of changes that in 2020 will reduce the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer, one of the most dangerous malignant neoplasms, by half. Pap smears performed every three years play a key role in this project.
So far, only 20 percent of women participating in the government program come for free cytology. It is not known how many women perform these tests privately, and how many do not go to the gynecologist at all, but cervical cancer is still detected too late.
Every year, about 3 women are diagnosed with it, and 300 of them die. There are so many deaths from this in no other country in Europe.
– A woman should not leave the gynecological office without a cytology or without the doctor establishing that she has done this test in the last three years – believes prof. Ryszard Poręba, President of the Polish Gynecological Towarowa. He adds that apart from educating the public, it is also necessary to discipline doctors. There must be pressure on those who neglect their office duties.
Women often complain about the lack of access to cytology or long waiting times. It is a common problem especially in small towns and villages. – Let the nurses and midwives perform the cytology. Most of them are licensed and often perform these tests instead of doctors. The National Health Fund should contract them. If nurses were financially interested, access to cytology would be much easier – says Barbara Jobda, President of the Polish Association of Oncological Nurses.
Pap tests are also performed in the so-called cytobuses that can reach even villages and the smallest towns, encouraging women to do research. – But from a legal point of view, cytobuses are illegal – emphasizes Dr. Jerzy Giermek, director of Central Coordinating Center for the Population Breast Cancer Early Detection Program and the Cervical Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Program.
The members of the coalition point out that the quality of cytology performed in our country leaves much to be desired – there are false-negative and false-positive results.
– Only full control over the quality, employees and results in specialized diagnostic centers guarantees that the preparation is correctly assessed – explains Marcin Kalęba from Laboratorium Genetyki Molekularnej Nucleagena Sp. z o. o. It happens that doctors, as part of their savings, assess the smear themselves.
According to prof. Violetta Skrzypulec-Plinty, head of the Department of Women’s Health at the Medical University of Silesia, in addition to cytology, would also be good to test for the presence of HPV (human papilloma that increases the risk of cervical cancer – PAP). – Such a combination of diagnostic methods would significantly increase the credibility of the results of the tests performed – he believes.
A vaccine intended for girls who has not yet entered into sexual life protects against HPV infection. The coalition believes that vaccinations, although they are a very effective protection against infection, do not eliminate the need for cytology in later years.
– It should be remembered that despite the vaccination, regular gynecological control is necessary – emphasizes Alina Pulcer, President of the Magnolia Association of Women with Oncological and Gynecological Problems.
Dr. Krystyna Backiel, President of the Teraz Domu Foundation, believes that it is worth introducing incentives to undergo cytology and use other preventive methods. – These can be discounts in health insurance, life insurance, tax deductions or cheaper loans – he suggests.
According to Witold Tomaszewski, Deputy Chief Sanitary Inspector, in other countries where, thanks to such incentives, as much as 1200 percent. Reporting for Pap tests has increased. (PAP)
See also: How are the reproductive organs tested?