Cervical cancer continues to have a major impact on women worldwide, particularly on women in developing countries like Guatemala.   The most recent data indicates an estimated 466,000 new cases of cervical cancer each year with nearly 80% of those cases occurring in developing countries.  It is the leading cause of cancer death among women, killing 288,000 each year.  Again, 80% of these are in developing countries and  77,000 of these cases are in Central America. 
In the US, a woman has a lifetime risk of 8/100,000 of developing the disease.  In Guatemala, the risk is 40 in 100,000 and these estimates are assumed to be grossly underestimated due to the methods of data collection in this country.  Although significant declines in mortality from cervical cancer have been observed in the US, Canada and other developed nations, no such declines have been observed in Latin America.
One important reason for the sharply higher incidence of cervical cancer in Guatemala is the lack of effective screening programs aimed at detecting precancerous conditions and treating them early before they progress to invasive cancer.  It is estimated that as many as 7 million women worldwide may have high-grade dysplasia that could be identified and treated.  While the primary underlying cause of cervical cancer is HPV,  it is important to note that early screening and detection could prevent abnormalities from progressing to invasive cervical cancer.
In the past year alone, SewHope has sponsored 10 medical trips to this region to provide screening and services. In addition to many other health care issues such as prenatal care, our organization has performed over 1000 pap smears and found a rate of 10% abnormalities.  A primary strategic goal has been to provide screening to all of the women in the Peten over the age of 25 at least every 3 years.   To date, the slides have been sent to ProMedica Labs in Toledo Ohio, who have donated the time and materials necessary to read them.  If necessary, women needing follow up are seen by the physicians and clinicians on the next trip.  In one recent  case, a 27 year old woman with advanced invasive cervical cancer was brought here for curative radiation and chemotherapy. She returned to Guatemala in Sept, 2010 in good health. (See Flori's blog)
In light of the critical need for screening, SewHope is working toward partnering with existing organizations and clinics in the Peten to improve the current programs. There is no pathologist in this entire region of over one million people and no cytopathology laboratory. While we understand that there are other simpler systems of cervical cancer screening, we believe that the people of Guatemala are deserving of the same excellent system that is currently used in developed countries.  We have medical teams traveling to the Peten on a monthly basis and these medical personnel  perform pap smears, colposcopy and visual inspection with acetic acid. If an abnormality is identified, then the patient can immediately be treated appropriately with cryotherapy.  Our project supervisor in Guatemala contacts all patients who have abnormal pap smears and biopsies so they can be followed up at our next visit. 
We are currently working to greatly expand this program in several ways. We hope to develop a cytopathology lab in the Peten and also to increase the number of health promoters who are adequately trained in screening techniques.  A comprehensive program is necessary to greatly reduce the tragic number of deaths of young women from this very preventable disease.