NICRAT offers free cervical cancer screening to 200 women in Adamawa
By Ibrahim Kado
The National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) has begun a free cervical cancer screening and sensitisation campaign targeting 200 women in Fufore Local Government Area of Adamawa.
Speaking at the inauguration on Tuesday in Fufore, Dr Nandi Tokkit, Consultant Department of Prevention and Control, NICRAT, Abuja, said cervical cancer is the second commonest cancer in women.
“One beautiful thing about cervical cancer is that it can be prevented through vaccination, and it can also be detected early through screening.
“So our aim is to detect these clients early, so that we will be able to prevent them from coming down with cervical cancer.
“Once we screen and they are positive or they have precancerous lesions. These are lesions that have not yet gotten to cancer, to the cancer stage, will be able to treat those precancerous lesions.
“So the woman is cured completely, and then she may likely not come down with cervical cancer”, she said.
Tokkit said the screenings are currently taking place in six different states in the country with Adamawa in the North-East.
Dr Maisaratu Bakari, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology with the Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital (MAUTH), Yola, said the exercise is timely because they have been having a lot of such cases in their facility.
“So when NICRAT brought this research initiative to our state, which we piloted, we did the phase one that was awareness to the community.
“We have now embarked on phase two, which is to do the HPV DNA testing, which is the primary testing from our national guideline, and this is a preventive testing for women for us to know those that have the high-risk HPV types.
“This is a virus that can lead to cervical cancer. So we intend to screen 200 women”, she explained.
According to her, the NICRAT has brought a Tamal ablator to burn the suspicious area.
She added that in a situation whereby the woman does not fulfill the criteria for ablation, then the referral facility is MAUTH Yola is there for further treatment.
Mrs Rahab Caleb, who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries, appreciated the institute for the free service and called on other women to avail themselves.
