As cervical cancer usually does not display any symptoms, by the time symptoms show up, the cancer is already in its advanced stages. Thankfully, cervical cancer can actually be easily prevented, particularly if caught at the pre-cancerous stage via timely Pap smears, or if the woman has already received the HPV vaccine, ideally before becoming sexually active.
Because more women in Singapore are getting screened, the incidence of cervical cancer has significantly fallen to become the 10th most common cancer in women. In 1970, it was second, after breast cancer. Cervical cancer now ranks eighth for cancer deaths among women in Singapore, which is still an unnecessarily high figure considering how preventable and treatable it is in its early stages.
Read on to find out how you can protect yourself better.
Almost all cases of cervical cancer is caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), an extremely common and often silent virus worldwide. In fact, men and women who are sexually active will be infected with HPV at some point in their life, though penetrative sex is not necessary for transmission—skin contact, such as genital contact, can have the same effect too. Usually, the body’s immune system will get rid of the HPV infection within two years. But when it doesn’t, that is when there is a high chance of it progressing to cancer.
This is why we are strong advocates for increased HPV vaccination rates among young women and girls, and we cannot stress the importance of timely Pap smears enough—they shift disease detection from the cancerous stage to the pre-cancerous stage where it is much more treatable. In terms of treating cervical cancer which has already manifested, we also provide numerous treatment options which will be carefully tailored to target each patient’s condition best.
Dr Quek Swee Chong is the Director of the Himalayan Women’s Health Project, an initiative he has led in Ladakh since 2009 to improve cervical cancer prevention and women’s healthcare in one of North India’s most remote regions.
Cervical cancer remains a major cause of mortality among women in India. In Ladakh, screening efforts have identified significant rates of cervical pre-cancer in this geographically isolated population. The project adopts a single-visit screen-and-treat model using Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid, followed by colposcopy and treatment under local anaesthesia where necessary.
To date, nearly 9,000 women have been screened and more than 600 have undergone surgical treatment for serious precancerous lesions.
The programme also focuses on training local healthcare workers and physicians to ensure sustainable, long-term impact. Through this work, Dr Quek continues his commitment to preventive care, surgical leadership and expanding access to essential services for underserved women.
To that end, he serves on the board of the International Federation of Colposcopy & Cervical Pathology, and his extensive research and humanitarian work centre around HPV and cervical cancer as well.
Apart from his subspecialty expertise in treating HPV and cervical cancer, Dr Quek Swee Chong is also experienced in managing all aspects of prenatal care, delivery (both natural and caesarean) as well as a wide range of gynaecological conditions including ovarian cysts, menstrual disorders, endometriosis, uterine fibroids and other gynaecological cancers.
Please reach out to us should you require quality and compassionate obstetrics care and women’s health screenings and treatments.
