Cervical cancer is the number one cancer among married women aged from 30 to 60 in Nepal, a screening report disclosed here on Sunday.

BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital detected 955 women with gynecological malignancies, of which 825 cases (85.7 percent) had cervical cancer, according to the report.

Nepal Network For Cancer Treatment and Research (NNCTR) recently conducted the screening under the program, "Cervical Cancer Screening and Prevention", which showed high incidence of cervical cancer among poorer women.

NNCTR conducted a random screening of 19,000 married women in some areas including Kavre, Bhaktapur and Chitwan, coordinator of NNCTR, Radha Pyari Nakarmi said.

"More screening is now going on at Stupa Community Hospital in Boudha. Exact number of cases will be tabulated after the screening is over," she added.

Sheela Verma, chief consultant gynecologist at Stupa Community Hospital in Boudha, said, "Poor women, especially in rural areas are affected most as they lack hygiene and basic knowledge about the disease, which when detected in the early stages is curable."

However, a senior nurse said women are shy to come for screening, which is affecting the detection and prevention of the disease.

Women with cervical cancer experience foul-smelling discharge, inter-menstrual cycle and vaginal bleeding after sexual intercourse, Verma said.

It is caused by lack of hygiene, sex with multiple partners and lack of birth-spacing. Having premature sexual intercourse, usually below the age of 18, also increases the chances of cervical cancer, experts said.

"To prevent it, we need mass screening, awareness about the disease and research at the community level," Verma said.

Every year, worldwide, 452,000 new cases of cervical cancer are detected, according to World Health Organization. In Nepal, it occupies number-one place in terms of common cancers among women, Verma added.

Source: Xinhua