He cervical cancer screening is about to begin in the Valencian Community. The Health Department announced this week that it will be launched before the end of the year and estimates predict that it will serve 1.7 million Valencian womenall those between 25 and 65 years old. Throughout this year, early detection tests for cervical cancer They will begin to be carried out in six health departments and, in the next five years, it is expected to cover the entire female population between these ages.
The first departments in which cervical cancer screening will begin to operate will be the Valencia-Doctor Peset, Arnau-Lliria, Sagunto, General de Castellón, Elda and Balmis de Alicante. This was determined by the Ministry of Health at a meeting held a few days ago. The aim is to expand coverage year by year, until 2029. With this measure, as has been done with breast cancer screening for more than 30 years, the aim is to improve the early detection of the human papillomavirus, responsible for cervical cancer. Data indicate that between 3 and 10% of women who contract this virus can develop this type of cancer.
The measure was announced in February 2023 and had been a source of tension between the current Consell and the opposition, which criticised the non-implementation of this programme in February. It was then that Marciano Gómez announced a delay in breast cancer screening tests, which he took advantage of to attack the management of the Botànic.
The Ministry of Health presented the cervical cancer screening at a meeting this week. / GVA
First phase
This September the following classes will be given: Preparatory and in-person training sessions in a health centre in each department. For its implementation, the Ministry of Health has designed a information platform that will collect all data into one interoperable platform with corporate information systems at all levels of care, which will improve the efficiency of screening program management. To this end, a series of working groups as support for the process of implementing population screening, as well as for confirming diagnoses, performing laboratory techniques and groups of different professional profiles for the development of the information platform and management of the screening program processes.
In this first phase, we will invite to a portion of women who have already received the information letter on the cervical cancer prevention program from the health centers selected in each department. This group of women will be invited to undergo a test to detect the human papillomavirus. This is a simple and highly effective test for which they will receive a kit for take a vaginal sample which will be deposited in the places enabled in the corresponding health center and will be subsequently analyzed to detect the presence or absence of the virus. In case the test is negative, It will not be necessary to repeat it until after five years.
Tool to “stop cancer”
As with all types of cancer, early detection is key. For this reason, the programme will allow “increasing the survival and cure rate”, said the regional minister for Health, Marciano Gómez. “It will allow early detection of possible high-risk lesions or the existence of cervical cancer, so that in those cases where there is a possible suspicion, it can be diagnosed as soon as possible and appropriate treatment can be started”, he added.
Gomez wanted encourage all women who receive an invitation to the program to participate in it, “because it is a tool that will help us to stop this type of cancer.” In fact, the aim is to achieve the same awareness that has been achieved with breast cancer screening and that has not yet been achieved with colon cancer screening.
