Up to 10 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in Samoa every year. That is potentially 10 lives lost to a preventable disease. Most of them are young mothers with young children. I remember Malia (not her real name) who presented to my private practice in Auckland in 2017. She had advanced cervical cancer and she came to New Zealand with high hopes that we would be able to cure and rid her of the cancer which was causing continuous bleeding and a smelly vaginal discharge. She had never heard of a cervical smear and was not aware that cancer could start where she believed was a taboo area. She was thinking of the 5 children she left behind in Samoa. The youngest was only 2 years of age. She was lucky the government paid for the treatment. But unlucky to get a cancer that most of her Samoan sisters in New Zealand would not have acquired as they have access to cervical screening. The radiotherapy would buy her time.
Malia had radiotherapy to shrink the cancer. The bleeding stopped and the discharge settled. She left for Samoa 6 weeks after she arrived.
She died 12 months later from the recurrence of her cancer. She left behind a devastated family. There is a saying in Papua New Guinea that when a mother dies, the family dies. So pivotal is the provider role of mothers in most Pacific settings.
Again, she died unnecessarily. Cervical cancer can be prevented by HPV vaccination and screening. There is no comprehensive screening programme in Samoa and the ‘Pap smears’ are offered by some providers with the knowledge that there is no pathologist in Samoa to read the slides.
The Health Specialist Centre has offered HPV testing since February and only 50 women have had a test in the 3 months. We have reduced the cost to $80 per test to improve access. Self-swabbing has also been shown to improve access. In comparison, New Zealand has just moved to the same screening programme that Australia has had for five years.
Book your mother, sister or wife a HPV test and eliminate cervical cancer from Samoa. Call 28303