Prevent and Detect Cervical Cancer in Guatemala

As the Medical Director for WINGS Guatemala, I have the opportunity to talk with other medical providers in Guatemala about the incredible work that we accomplish as a relatively small NGO (non-governmental organization). Recently I participated in a forum with various organizations working in cervical cancer detection and prevention. During this gathering, we discussed trends that we are seeing in the field and strategies that we have used with success.

WINGS uses a screening procedure called VIA (visual inspection with acetic acid) which gives immediate results in the field and allows us to treat positive cases with same-day cryotherapy. We use this process because of its low cost and its rapid results. Many of our patients travel long distances to reach us and we know that requiring them to come back in a few days or even weeks to get lab results would be nearly impossible. VIA has been shown to be as sensitive as a pap smear in detecting abnormal cervical cells. For any cases that show more significant abnormalities than we can treat, we make referrals for colposcopies or treatment as needed.

One of the more remarkable pieces of data that arose during our recent forum was that many medical providers are seeing fewer positive cases of abnormal cells. We are interested to see if this decrease is simply a momentary dip or if the data will eventually show that cases of cervical cancer are truly declining in Guatemala.

From January to July of 2017, WINGS screened 2,431 women for cervical cancer with 64 positive results or 2.63%. These results are in line with what we would expect for the normal range of positive screenings, however, they do show a slight decline from last year.

We will keep you posted on the results that we see in the field and hope that you will continue to support the work we are doing to save women’s lives in Guatemala.