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Understanding Cervical Cancer with Dr Faiz (Part 2): Otter Voice Meeting Notes

Understanding Cervical Cancer with Dr Faiz (Part 2)

Raihan Rahman15min

Dr Faiz

00:03

protects you against five different types of cancers is a protects your future partners against cervical cancer, and also it can protect you against genital warts as well. If you don't know what it is, please google up genital warts, and I trust me you will get the vaccine tomorrow.

Alan Tang

00:24

Thank you that I will take a couple of questions, some more questions from the audience before I conclude with my last question. So now we are getting, I think, among the audience are building up some knowledge and awareness now, and they are being very curious. First question I want to take from from Miss Mei Ching her question was whether you know if results, as a result were to show any thickening or not sure what HyperX means, in this case. She's worried about whether or not, is there a high chance of getting it right. But I guess consulting the doctor would be the right thing to do. What is your opinion for this question?

Dr Faiz

01:07

Well, pap smear results, usually they come up with reading, like for example a mammogram will tell you is your xone, zero or 2, 3, 4, 5 with pap smear results, they usually will tell you CIN: one, two or three. So, from there, your doctor will advise you whether you need to be monitored more closely, or whether you need to get treated for it to prevent it from becoming cancerous. So I'm not exactly sure what it means by thickening or hyper bile, depending on if you look at the piece of paper again that you usually will tell you whether it's CIN one, two or three, and your doctor will be able to advise you accordingly. Whether you either need to be monitored more closely. Do a repeat pap smear test in a year's time, do a coloscopy test, or whether you need treatment.

Alan Tang

01:59

And I have another question. So, this with, with the name, MKNS LPPKN Mentakab the person asked if his HPV DNA test is so positive with type, 16 or 18. But when doing calls when the result comes back normal. Is it okay so I guess it's, it's two different tests, the results come back kind of normal and you're not quite sure how to interpret it, I guess, what would, how would you advise going about this?

Unknown Speaker

02:35

Well let's let's talk about the two different tests, I mean, there's two different test kits, so again just mentioned, HPV DNA, which is one test, and then I've mentioned pap smear which is the second test. HPV DNA is as the name suggests, only test for the presence of HPV, but it doesn't look for the presence of cervical cancer changes. So, pap smear, you have to go to your clinic. You have to baring and kangkang besar-besar and the doctor or the nurse will take a swab, make sure that you don't have cancer, HPV DNA test the beauty of it is that you can do it yourself. We give you a cotton bud with a very long, tip, like you do the coronavirus test, you go to the toilet yourself and you perform it yourself so you don't have to have a doctor or nurse with you to do it for you so if you're embarrassed you can do the HPV DNA test. However, the HPV DNA test does not tell you whether this cancerous or not. Even if you don't have HPV. HPV in your system, you still have to go for your regular pap smears. So even if you're even if you have vaccinated yourself against cervical cancer. With the HPV vaccine, you still have to go for regular pap smears. So if the HPV DNA test positive, was 16 or 18, which are the highest risk factors for for cervical cancer, but your pap smear result comes back normal, it's okay for now, but you are at a higher risk for pap for cervical cancer. So usually, talk to your doctors and your doctors will usually advise for you to get a pap smear regularly. Usually every year from then on, forth, because when you are already positive with type 16 Or type 80 You have a higher risk of getting cervical cancer. So that is one of the reasons why, another doctor will advise you to get pap smears more regularly. Right, thank you, but don't worry about it. It doesn't mean that you will get cancer, and the chances of you getting cancer is still quite slim, but you are at a higher risk compared to the rest of the population.

Alan Tang

04:42

I'll take one more question is the third one, Ninie just posted this. Her question was, is there any finding or research for oral chemo tablets to take for cervical cancer, I guess, is her question.

Unknown Speaker

04:59

Okay, so thank you for the question. We unfortunately right most keyboards that we have right now is via IV. We have to, you know, stick you with a needle and give you a course of chemotherapy, through a tube. We all know, for Xeloda is the only oral chemotherapy agent that we have is commonly used for a lot of cancers, but in terms of what you use for chemotherapy in terms of cervical cancer. This variety of, of chemotherapy agents that we can use for cervical cancer to speak to your doctors about it. I don't think we use the very very regularly for cervical cancer. And in terms of tamoxifen. It's something that we use regularly, it's not a chemotherapy agent, it's a whole, it's a hormone blocker. It's a oestrogen antagonist that we use in, and breast cancer, so we don't use it regularly in cervical cancer. So, you know what I don't want people to be bogged down about is, what, what can I do in terms of treatment what treatment is best for me. I mean when you do get the cancer, please talk to doctors, please, iron it out. But what I want you to take away what I want you to remember is that Cervical cancer is so easily detected so easily treated. Don't worry about what you do after you get cancer, but focus more on what can I do to prevent cancer from actually happening to me.

Alan Tang

06:42

On that note, then, are there. What are the typical common myths that are associated this right I mean, we think a lot about?

Unknown Speaker

06:53

when we talk about cancers, for example, a lot of people think, Oh, I cannot prevent cancer, but actually cancer is highly preventable with breast cancer for example just exercising 30 minutes a day jogging or brisk walking 30 minutes a day can reduce your cancer risk by two to 65% Smoking causes 11 different types of cancer, not just lung cancer so by quitting smoking or removing yourself from a secondhand smoking situation, reduces your cancer risk greatly, and especially with cervical cancer, getting vaccinated reduces your risk by 95%. Screening helps detect cancers early up to 10 years prevented from becoming cancer. So cancer, especially cervical cancer is highly preventable. Another myth about cervical cancer is that if you have HPV vaccine, you will definitely get cervical cancers. Again, that's, that's not true. It's a complete myth, usually your body is adapt clearing up and killing off the viruses Coronavirus we kill it off, HPV our body feels at all. We don't need any treatment. However, in some individuals out there, our bodies are not able to kill off viruses. So the viruses keep recurring and recurring and recurring and your cervix gets to damage, cumulative damage causes cervical cancer. It does not mean that you are HPV positive, you will get the cancer only in certain individuals, they will develop the cancers. So is that,

Alan Tang

08:29

Sorry. Before I interrupt, I'll let you continue,

Dr Faiz

08:34

Oh no, lastly, like I mentioned before, I received the HPV vaccine. So I'm protected against 95% of all cervical cancer so I don't need pap smear test again that's not true. Regular pap smear test is still necessary for those who have the HPV vaccine vaccine only protects it gets 95% of all the cancers, but not the 5%, so there's still that risk. So, it's such a small test five minutes every three years, to protect yourself against it so even if you've had the HPV vaccine, please get your regular pap smear test every three years

Unknown Speaker

09:12

Alright, thank you then then does that also then mean, There's a question from Sarah in the audience. Then what about can fibroid lead to serious cancer is no serious and like, is that also a cause?

Dr Faiz

09:30

Well, fibroid, you don't get fibroid at the cervix, you actually get fibroid in the uterus. So, fibroid if you want to think about it, you might want to think about you try and cancer, endometrial cancer, but the risks of these benign tumours, like your cysts, like your adenomas, fibroadenomas becoming cancerous, it's actually very very low. It's less than 1% or 2%. So if you do have fibroids and your doctor says, Okay, it's benign, don't worry about it. So usually if you're not, if you have something like a cyst or like a fibroid a doctor will monitor it more closely. We will normally say okay let's repeat your test in six months time, make sure that it's not changing or it's not growing. If it's not growing, if it's not changing and doctor says, oh everything is fine. You don't have to be worried about it. And don't worry about it, the risk of them becoming cancerous is very very low.

Alan Tang

10:21

Okay. So, go back to the question around the HPV vaccine right and you did advise that vaccination doesn't mean 100% immunity at the end day we still need to do the Pap smear test to be sure. However, when it comes to the HPV vaccination, how regular should we take this? There was a question from Alice, you know, do we need to take three of this for whole life or it's something we need to do, every three years or every five years, regularly routine?

Dr Faiz

10:56

So the beautiful thing about about the HPV vaccine is that we so far. We know that the three injections that we take in the period of six months will protect us against the individual viruses for the rest of our lives. You don't have to have booster shots that you do with hepatitis vaccines or you don't have to take it annually do with flu vaccines, so just the three vaccines over six months will protect you for the rest of your life. It's not cheap. I'm not going to lie, the cheapest one that we have is RM800 for three shots. The most expensive one is RM500 per shot so RM1500 for three shots, but at the end of the day, it's for the price of a Coach handbag for a woman, and it will protect you against 95% of all cervical cancers, for the rest of your life. So please, if you have the money go get it if you don't have the money if you can please save up to get it, we don't offer it in the government sector, because it is very expensive, but you can go to private clinics or even pathlab, or GP lab to get it.

Alan Tang

12:03

Okay I think I will take one last question and then maybe we can end this session with Dr Faiz share with us what are the one thing you really want us to remember as we take away. So, the question I want to help, as is, what are the symptoms or early signs of of cervical cancer.

Dr Faiz

12:27

So what was the question again.

Alan Tang

12:29

What are the symptoms or early signs of cervical cancer?

Dr Faiz

12:36

Okay.So in terms of cervical cancer. The first symptom that normally come is vaginal discharge, but this varies greatly in the amount and it can be continuous, or it can be intermittent coming can go. Number two is bleeding. This can be spontaneous, but it can be it can also occur after sex or after after urinating. And the third symptom is vaginal problems or vaginal discomfort, so anything wrong with down below, please go get yourself checked, You know if you think that anything is abnormal down there, please don't ignore it. A lot of women ignore it. A lot of cervical cancers we detect at the later stage, because women ignore the symptom, a lot of ovarian cancers especially we detect that stage four is because women have these symptoms for months and months and months and they ignore it. So anything down below that you find that's not normal for you. Go see a doctor and go get it checked.

Alan Tang

13:37

Alright, thank you so much for, thank you so much for for sharing with us. There was a lot of good insights actually you got me thinking a lot about people close to me and you know I do want to share this knowledge that you have given. To close off, could you share with us what that one key reminder that you cannot start repeating, and you want us to take away from this session?

Dr Faiz

14:06

Okay, so if I if you remember one thing, just remember that can a cervical cancer is highly, highly preventable, and you can do this by three ways. Number one, get yourself vaccinated. Number two, get yourself screened every few years. And number three just do not trust men. Simple as that.

Alan Tang

14:25

All right, the last one is a bit tough. So thank you so much doctor for again giving us your time and sharing with us your knowledge around cancer and helping us to really understand this from, from all different perspectives and prevention. In this case, is this something that we easy to prevent and to close off with everyone, to our viewers, I just want to share that whatever information that we provide today is to help build that general knowledge for all of us is purely educational is never to substitute any professional health advice. So do seek your medical advice for for your medical condition with your doctor. Go to the nearest health institution to get assistance. And this video only represents a view, and our understanding and our knowledge around cervical cancer. So with that, thank you very much doctor and thank you for viewers and all your questions and thank you for tuning in. Thank you so much everyone, bye.

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