On World Cancer Day, Project HOPE Hails Progress of Cervical Cancer Prevention Program in China

Early diagnosis is crucial to reducing morbidity and mortality rates of women in China suffering from cervical cancer, says Project HOPE on World Cancer Day.

International NGO Project HOPE launched the Women’s Health-Cervical Cancer Prevention Program in May 2012 to combat cervical cancer in China.  Cervical cancer is the second deadliest cancer in women around the world, causing about 250,000 deaths annually.  There are about 500,000 new cases of cervical cancer each year, and over 25% of these occur in China.  Funded by global medical technology giant, BD, Project HOPE’s cancer prevention program is improving early detection of the disease, which can be lifesaving, especially in under-served rural areas.

“Cervical cancer is treatable if it is found in its early stages. Patients can have a 100 percent survival rate if the cancer is detected in its earliest stage,” said Lily Hsu, Director of Project HOPE in Shanghai.

There are 135,000 newly diagnosed cases of cervical cancer in China each year, according to data from the Peking University People’s Hospital, due to low rates of cancer screening and a dangerous lack of public awareness about cervical cancer, especially in rural areas.

“Women have been very receptive to HOPE’s cervical cancer prevention program.  The health benefits for the women who are getting greater support, screenings and information about cervical cancer prevention are, in some cases, lifesaving,” said Ms. Hsu.

Since the start of the program last year in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Shenyang and Fuzhou, almost 400 migrant women have received free education and screenings, out of which 13 abnormal samples were found.  More than 700 pathologists and gynecologists have already been trained through the program.

The program will continue until September 2014 and its main objectives are as follows:

• Train 480 cytopathologists and technicians at the cervical screening and diagnosis unit to improve the capacity of cervical cytopathology diagnosis
• Conduct advanced cervical cancer diagnostic  procedure and cytopathology stages training for 360 gynecologists in cervical cancer surgery
• Invite 1200 women from the migrant worker population to participate in the free cervical cancer screening activity to enhance awareness about cervical cancer prevention
• Mobilize 120 community health volunteers to participate in community health education to enhance the public awareness about cervical cancer prevention and the importance of screening and early diagnosis

Project HOPE also has programs in Eastern Europe and China to address the needs of pediatric cancer patients by improving treatment and better coordinating medical and psycho-social care.  Project HOPE also helped to establish the Basrah Children’s Hospital in Iraq, in 2010, a specialty referral hospital, dedicated to treating pediatric cancer.  Project HOPE equipped the hospital with donated equipment and supplies, as well as trained its staff, using privately donated funds totaling more than $30 million. (Read our Huffington Post story on the Basrah Children’s Hospital.)

World Cancer Day is held annually on February 4.  The day was established by the Geneva-based, global organization, Union for International Cancer Control, and aims to save millions of lives annually by raising awareness and education about cancer, and pressing governments and individuals across the world to take action against the disease.

About Project HOPE

Founded in 1958, Project HOPE (Health Opportunities for People Everywhere) is dedicated to providing lasting solutions to health problems with the mission of helping people to help themselves. Identifiable to many by the SS HOPE, the world’s first peacetime hospital ship, Project HOPE now conducts land-based medical training and health education programs in more than 35 countries across five continents.