On Thursday, November 11, 2010, at 10:00 a.m., a second master-class on women’s health problems for mass media representatives took place. This time, the participants of the event covered some issues in oncogynecology (cervical cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer).

The subject of the master-class arises from the high rates of this disease in Ukraine. Every year our country records around 160,000 cases of cancer, 16,000 of which are oncogynecological pathologies. Analysis of the present state of cancer cases among the Ukrainian population suggests that the highest incidence rates in 2008 were recorded in the Zaporizhzhya, Mykolayiv and Kirovograd regions (401.4 – 402.7 per 100,000 people), and in the city of Sevastopol (483.7 per 100,000 people). The disease rate is higher in big cities – Dnepropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Kiev. In the female population, there is an increased incidence of melanoma, hematological malignancies, breast cancer, thyroid cancer, cervical cancer, and bladder cancer. Cervical cancer rates were highest in the Volyn, Dnipropetrovsk and Odessa regions in 2008, and in the Kirovograd and Zhytomyr regions in 2009.

Yelena Manzhura, PhD, Chief Oncogynecologist of Kiev, Head of the Department of Gynecology, assistant in the Department of Oncology, A. A. Bogomolets National Medical University, says: “Every year more than 160,000 people in Ukraine learn that they have cancer. 21% of 100,000 people have cervical cancer. Every year about 2500 women die of cervical cancer in Ukraine, 700 of whom are women of reproductive age; and in 1/3 of cases cancer is diagnosed at the extensive stage. Today the following risk factors for cervical cancer can be noted in Ukraine: the early onset of sexual activity among young people; the presence of sexually transmitted infections, including human papillomavirus (HPV); the environmental situation in the country; as well as smoking, improper diet and reduced immunity. These are totally understandable and simple things, but today, even with a sufficient quantity of special equipment in Kiev, we cannot motivate the female population to go through timely regular medical screening. I think that in order to solve this problem at the state level there must be an information campaign, through which we could build a culture of regular doctor visits by women in Ukraine. In financial terms it is less costly than treatment of long-neglected cases”.

Dr. Anneke van Driel-Kulker, biologist/cytologist, the Netherlands, says: “Our country has already formed a culture of making regular visits to the gynecologist. Starting at the age of 12-13, before the onset of sexual activity, girls are offered vaccinations against HPV; the cost of such vaccination is 18 euros, and an information campaign is broadcast on television. To reach the maximum target audience for check-ups, special mobile field laboratories were created. The trained specialists, most of them women, are employed in making examinations in these laboratories. We involve public people who have experienced the problem of cervical cancer in their lives, to explain how important it is to be screened in good time and to control their health.”

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Social Journalism Club is the initiative of Rinat Akhmetov's Foundation for Development of Ukraine. The Club was established in 2007 and brings together the journalists writing about important social issues.
The Foundation for Development of Ukraine is a non-profit-making organization established on 15 July 2005.
The Foundation’s mission is to help lay the basis for the successful and sustainable development of Ukrainian society by investing in the education of future generations, nation’s health, and preservation and development of Ukrainian culture. Areas of activity: Contemporary Education, Health of the Nation, Cultural Heritage, Targeted Assistance.
Rinat Akhmetov is the President of the Foundation for Development of Ukraine