GIVINGTUESDAY ALL YEAR! Help to Empower Women and Improve Health Around the World! – World Cancer Day
MCN Foundation is committed to improving access to healthcare information and education, globally, through MCN Learning. We will provide links to free courses and resources for healthcare providers as well as the general public every month on the anniversary of GivingTuesday.
February 4, 2017 is World Cancer Day; taking place under the tagline ‘We can. I can.’ World Cancer Day 2016-2018 will explore how everyone – as a collective or as individuals – can do their part to reduce the global burden of cancer. This month MCN Foundation is providing resources addressing cervical cancer.
The latest information available shows that cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women, with an estimated 528,000 new cases in 2012. There was an estimated 266,000 deaths from cervical cancer worldwide in that same year. The World Health Organization estimates that by 2030, the number of deaths from cervical cancer will reach 443,000 worldwide. Cervical cancer remains the most common cancer in women in the Eastern and Middle Africa.
- Malawi had the highest rate of cervical cancer, followed by Mozambique and Comoros.
- About 84 per cent of cervical cancer cases occurred in less developed countries.
- The highest incidence of cervical cancer was in Africa and, Latin America and Caribbean; and the lowest incidence in Northern America and Oceania (region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean).
Cervical cancer is highly preventable if adolescent girls and women are screened and receive the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. When cervical cancer is found early, it is treatable and associated with long survival and good quality of life. Studies show that cervical cancer is on the decline in the United States, but the burden in many countries remains high, mostly due to a lack of screening and treatment services.
The key facts are that cervical cancer can be prevented by raising public awareness, vaccinating adolescent girls aged 9-13 years against human papilloma virus (HPV), the virus that causes cervical cancer and, screening women who are sexually active at least once every three years.
Agencies around the world are working together to prevent cervical cancer. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working with agencies like the World Health Organization, the American Cancer Society, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) to develop cancer registries, build capacity to screen more women for cervical cancer, improve cervical cancer screening programs, update and implement screening guidelines, develop a global cancer training course for public health professionals, and improve quality assurance, monitoring, and evaluation.
The initiative, Taking Cervical Cancer Prevention to Scale: Protecting All Women and Girls was launched in November 2015 by the Cervical Cancer Action (CCA – a global coalition to stop cervical cancer). The initiative convenes a multi-sector partnership to prioritizing investments in the health of adolescent girls and women and building momentum for action on global cervical cancer prevention over the period of 2015 – 2020.
Resources for Healthcare Providers
The New England Journal of Medicine, Saving the World’s Women from Cervical Cancer, June 30, 2016
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Noncommunicable Disease Training Modules
Community-based solutions for Cervical Cancer Screening: A Resource Guide for Service Providers
Resources for the General Public:
Foundation for Women’s Cancer – Cervical Cancer
Harvard Medical School, Patient Education Center – Cervical Cancer
National Cancer Institute – Cervical Cancer Prevention
MCN Foundation is committed to improving women and children’s health; become a member of our team by making a donation today! Your donation will provide much needed education to empower women to take care of themselves and others. MCN Learning will match all donations making your contribution go twice as far.
We THANK YOU for empowering women around the world!
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