Association offers free cervical cancer tests
Arghea D. Hapsari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 02/05/2010 8:18 PM
The Female Cancer Programme (FCP), an association that focuses in cancer diseases in women, is providing free Acetic Acid Tests to screen cervical cancer.
Held at the Women's Health Expo at Sahid Jaya Hotel in Central Jakarta, the event targets around 600 women and is aimed at increasing women's awareness of cervical cancer and the importance of its early detection.
“Cervical cancer can be easily prevented. We can detect the disease since the pre-cancer stage and in many women this stage lasts for years, so there is a huge chance to prevent it from being cancerous by early detection. Unfortunately, when it turns into a cancer, the disease displays no symptoms,” said FCP's chairwoman, Dr. Laila Nuranna.
Day one saw around 176 women taking the tests, she added.
The Acetic Acid Test, an aided visual inspection of the cervix to screen cancer, is more affordable than the pap smear test, Laila said.
A pap smear test to detect cervical cancer costs Rp 100,000 (US$10.7) to Rp 150,000 at private hospitals, although some hospitals would charge up to Rp 500,000 per test.
The Acetic Acid Test costs a lot less expensive. Laila said in some regions in the country, community health centers or puskesmas would conduct the test for as low as Rp 5,000.
Around 15,000 new cases of cervical cancer are found in the country every year, with between 40 to 45 women diagnosed with the disease every day. The mortality rate is around 50 percent.
