Abstract:

Background: Guyana has the third highest incidence and rate of death from cervical cancer in the Western Hemisphere. The are several predisposing factors including HPV infection, early age of menarche, young age of first sexual experience and first full term pregnancy, multiple sexual partner, smoking, low socioeconomic status,.

Aim: to determine the common risk factors for cervical cancer among women attending the GPHC VIA clinic

Methodology: A Self-Administered pretested and validated questionnaire which seeks to identify common risk factors for cervical factors among all women between the ages of 16 and 35 that attended The VIA Clinic at GPHC. Data was collected during a 1 week period Monday to Thursday (VIA Clinic Days) , a total of 48 women participated in the Study.

Results: There was a 60% response to the study. 25% were of the low socioeconomic status. Only 18.7% of women had a papanicolaou smear in the last three years. 31.25% had a positive family history of cancer (breast and cervical). 18.8% had menarche before the age of 12 years. 95% of the women were sexually active with 47.9% having had their first sexual intercourse between the ages of 17-20. 21.7% of women had multiple sex partners and practice unprotected sexual intercourse . In addition a little less that half of the participants consumed a low fruit diet and a significant majority ate smoked and canned foods regularly

Conclusion: Lack and irregular use of condoms at every coitus, multiple partners, inadequate diet among others were the main factors that predisposes the women to become infected with the human papilloma virus and subsequently development of cervical cancer .

References:

[1.] Matti Lehtinen, TapioLuostarinen, Linda D. Youngman, Tarja Antila, Joakindillner, Timo Hakulinen, PenttiKoskela, Per Lenner and Goran Hallman; Low levels of serum vitamin A and E in blood and subsequent risk for cervical cancer: Interaction with HPV seropositivity; Nutrition and Cancer 34(2) 229-234 – 1999.

[2.] Yvonne N Flores, PhD, David M Bishai, MD, Keerti V Shah, MD, Eduardo Lazcano-Ponce, D en C, Attila Lörincz, MD, Mauricio Hernández, PhD, Daron Ferris, MD, Jorge Salmerón; Risk factors for cervical cancer among HPV positive women in Mexico; Salud Publica Mex 2008;50:49-58.

[3.] Weekly Epidemiological Record, 5/17/2002, Vol. 77 Issue 20, p167, 2p, Cervical cancer, oral contraceptives and parity

[4.] Alliance for Cervical cancer prevention (ACCP); Cervical Cancer Prevention Fact Sheet – May 2004

[5.] WHO - HPV Information Center; Human Papillomavirus and Cervical Cancer Summary Report Guyana; updated year 2007

[6.] Goodarz Danaei, Stephen Vander Hoorn, Alan D Lopez, Christopher J L Murray, MajidEzzati, and the Comparative Risk Assessment collaborating group ; Causes of cancer in the world: comparative risk assessment of nine behavioural and environmental risk factors

[7.] Giuliano AR, Siegel EM, Roe DJ, Ferreira S, Baggio ML, Galan L, Duarte-Franco E, Villa LL, Rohan TE, Marshall JR, Franco EL; Ludwig-McGill HPV Natural History Study; Dietary intake and risk of persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection

[8.] Sedjo RL, Roe DJ, Abrahamsen M, Harris RB, Craft N, Baldwin S, Giuliano AR; Vitamin A, carotenoids, and risk of persistent oncogenic human papillomavirus infection

[9.] Center for Disease Control and prevention Fact sheet for public health personnel; Male latex condoms and sexually transmitted infections, June 2000

[10.] Herrero, Rolando, Reeves, William C., Brinton, Louise A., Garcia, Mariana, Brenes, Maria M., Gaitan, Eduardo, Tenorio, Francisco, Rawls, William E., de Britton, Rosa C.

[11.] Herrero, Rolando, Reeves, William C., Brinton, Louise A., Garcia, Mariana, Brenes, Maria M., Gaitan, Eduardo, Tenorio, Francisco, Rawls, William E., de Britton, Rosa C; Sexual behavior, venereal diseases, hygiene practices, and invasive cervical cancer in a high-risk population; J.P Lippincott company 1990

[12.] Atiene S. Sagay, Godwin E. Imade, Viola Onwuliri, Daniel Z. Egah, Matthew J. Grigg, Jonah Musa, Tom D. Thacher, James O. Adisa, Malcolm Potts and Roger V. Short: Genital Tract Abnormalities among Female Sex Workers

[13.] Who Douche with Lemon/Lime Juice in Nigeria: Afr J Reprod Health 2009;

[14.] Quinn, M., et al., Cancer Trends in England & Wales 1950-1999. Vol. SMPS No. 66. 2001: TSO.

[15.] U.S National cancer institute Factsheet, Heterocyclic amines in cooked meats.

[16.] United States Business And Finance, Article – Study links BPA to increased risk of prostate cancer by Kara Sissell.

[17.] Environmental Working Group, A Survey of Bisphenol A in U.S. Canned Foods, March 2006

[18.] Chemical Week, Article – Plastic Additives Bisphenol A linked to Breast Cancer, June 8, 2005 pg 43

[19.] V. Sasongkoa, Y. Jayasinghe MBBS FRANZCOG, EE. Moore MS, PhDb, S. Grover MD FRANZCOGa, S. Tabrizi PhD, S. Garland MD FRCPA FAChSHM FRANZOG, Ad Eundem (Senior Author) and Early Onset Cervical Cancer Study