Physical Health Guatemala Project #2501

Prevent and Detect Cervical Cancer in Guatemala

by WINGS

Prevent and Detect Cervical Cancer in Guatemala

Project Report | Jun 24, 2019
WINGS' STRATEGIC CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING

By Eleanor Unsworth | Programs Director

Regional Field Supervisor Josefina gives a talk

WINGS has provided 1,455 cervical cancer screenings from the beginning of this year through May. Our goal for 2019 is to provide a total of 2,000 screenings using visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) for immediate detection of cervical cell abnormalities and same-day treatment using cryotherapy for pre-cancerous cells that may lead to cervical cancer. We’re already at 73% of our annual goal just 5 months in!

We’ve had success this year with a new strategy we are implementing. Instead of promoting our VIA service as part of every contraceptive clinic we host, we are now also offering large-scale VIA-only clinics on a regular basis. We’re seeing that women in some communities need cervical cancer screenings more often than contraceptives so by promoting days where we are only offering VIA screenings we can reach those women who need screenings but have their contraceptive needs met. Our nurses also see that many women who are not yet interested in a contraceptive method are interested in VIA and the screening gives us a way to gain their trust and begin a broader reproductive health conversation.

Time and again we hear of cases like a recent one from the nearby community of El Hato. A woman had been seen by another clinic and was told she needed a referral but didn´t understand and never received a follow-up call from her provider. A family member of hers reached out to WINGS via Facebook and we invited her to come in to our Antigua clinic to get screened again. She came in and we screened her and she did require a referral for further care. Because our staff is trained in rights-based, patient-centered care,we know that we need to spend extra time and provide adequate follow-up to patients, especially when their lives are at risk.

Your support means that we have the resources and highly-trained staff necessary to do this life-saving work. We appreciate your commitment to help us make a difference for so many women and their families.

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Mar 26, 2019
WINGS' 2018 CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING RESULTS

By Dr. Michelle Dubon | Medical Director

WINGS' 2018 CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING RESULTS

WINGS has provided 60,239 cervical cancer screenings since 2001. In 2018, we saw a 28% decrease in our cervical cancer screening service from 2017. This result was by design since we aimed for a decrease in the provision of both cervical cancer screenings and short-acting methods in response to both community needs and available funding. In the past, WINGS staff emphasized cervical cancer screenings in promotional talks and patient education. We saw large numbers of patients seeking us out exclusively for this screening to the point that it impeded our ability to attend those patients who needed contraceptives. Starting in 2017, we asked our staff to become more passive in their promotion of screening. Staff began educating patients who came for contraceptive methods about the benefits of cervical cancer screenings, but we did not publicly advertise this service. This shift in promotion of services combined with no longer organizing massive cervical cancer screening clinics with agricultural employers resulted in a decline in screenings provided.

Nearly a quarter of WINGS patients had their first cervical cancer screening with us last year and almost half saw us for a contraceptive method as well. WINGS offers cervical cancer screenings in all our clinics, either within our stationary clinic or our mobile unit clinics. We use visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) for immediate detection of cervical cell abnormalities and same-day treatment using cryotherapy for pre-cancerous cells that may lead to cervical cancer.

A trend that our nurses have begun to see is that the health posts and other health facilities managed by the Guatemalan Ministry of Health are increasingly more likely to have both trained staff and sufficient inventory to meet the needs of communities. WINGS always tries to fill in any gaps left and work closely with local health officials to plan coverage of rural areas.

In 2019, we aim to provide 2,000 VIA screenings, knowing that many communities are being covered by governmental resources. WINGS will be available and prepared to fill in gaps as our field staff notices any unmet needs. This work would simply not be possible without your help. You are truly helping us to save lives. ¡Gracias!

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Dec 31, 2018
Circles of trust save lives

By Oihane Benaran Munoz | Development Coordinator

Nurse Alexia talks to patients in Alotenango

Here at WINGS, we hear incredible stories of how our services affect the lives of individual women and even their extended families. One of our favorite situations is when women come to us because a sister or aunt has referred them because they trust us to provide the highest quality of reproductive health care.

A few weeks ago, Fátima visited WINGS’ clinic at the hospital in Cobán (department of Alta Verapaz in northern Guatemala), where we offer reproductive health services every Wednesday. She made a 5-hour trip from El Estor (department of Izabal in eastern Guatemala) to get a cervical cancer screening.

Fátima told our nurse Carmencita that her aunt had been screened with WINGS and that the results showed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) at stage III, the latest stage before developing into cancer. WINGS helped her get the necessary information to have surgery in Guatemala City.

Despite having access to health facilities nearby, Fátima preferred to visit WINGS because her aunt had a pap test at the local health center and the results were negative. However, it turned out to be an advanced precancerous condition when she got her results with WINGS. Unfortunately, a pap smear is more likely to show false negative results, which may have been the case of Fátima’s aunt.

After the aunt was cured, one of Fátima’s cousins decided to attend to a WINGS clinic and we discovered pre-cancerous cells. WINGS provided cryotherapy that same day and she is now fully recovered too.

These experiences encouraged Fátima to get screened. She was so satisfied with WINGS’ services, she brought her mother the following week. Both of them had a negative result. Fátima told WINGS how thankful she was for our work, as we had saved the lives of two of her relatives. She also mentioned that getting screened had given Fátima and her mother peace of mind regarding their sexual health.

Thank you for supporting our cervical cancer program. Early detection can save lives like Fátima’s family’s.

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