Wednesday, 18 September 2013

Early sex can cause cervical cancer – Registrar

A Senior Registrar at the Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Dr. Patrick Echekwube, has said that early sexual exposure and having multiple sex partners are some factors that predispose women to cervical cancer.
Echekwube said this in an interview with our correspondent in Ilesa on Tuesday, at a free medical check-up organised by the International Breweries Plc for residents of the town.
He said other factors — including age and family history — were some of the factors which predisposed women to having cervical cancer.
He said, “Girls who start having sex from around age 12 or 13 are more likely to have cervical cancer later in life. Early exposure to sex is one of the factors causing cervical cancer. But other factors are also responsible for it and these include, having multiple sex partners and family history.
“In other words, if a member of your family has had cervical cancer, you are likely to have it. Also, the chances of having it increase with age, especially from age 50 and above.”
The doctor, however, said early detection of the cancer was important, because treatment would start immediately and survival rate was higher.
The Corporate Affairs Manager of IBL, Folasade Omole, said the company, as part of its corporate social responsibility, organised the free health exercise to give back to the society and to ensure that the people were healthy.

Information from Punch Newspaper was used in this report

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