Cervical cancer myths revealed in survey
Women have misconceptions and insufficient knowledge about cervical cancer, but would accept a vaccine after they were informed about it, University of Hong Kong researchers said yesterday.
The university conducted two focus groups involving 113 women and girls aged 13 to 58, and a questionnaire of 1,413 women from April 2006 to July 2007.
The studies found that 39 per cent of the women could correctly answer at least four questions of seven about the human papillomavirus (HPV), which has been linked to cervical cancer.
Thirty-three per cent correctly answered at least nine questions of 18 about cervical cancer.
About 52 per cent had not heard of a cervical cancer vaccine.
'It is quite alarming that they have poor knowledge,' said Hextan Ngan Yuen-sheung, clinical professor at the university's department of obstetrics and gynaecology.
Misconceptions include the belief that cancer affected only sex workers, and that it is caused by food, too much stress or air pollution, she said.
When the women were informed that cervical cancer could be prevented by a vaccine, 87 per cent said they would accept the vaccine, said Professor Ngan.
'This also applied to whether they would let their daughters receive the vaccine,' she said.
More than half the teenagers surveyed were wiling to be vaccinated, but did not see an immediate need to do so, said Peter Lee Wing-ho, professor at the department of psychiatry. He said this raised concerns because the vaccine's effectiveness was reduced if it was delayed until after exposure to sex.
Health authorities in the United States, Europe and Australia have recommended vaccinating all girls at the age of 11 or 12.
'The vaccine is most effective before first sexual activity. If you give it to this age group, it coincides with the vaccination programme [for other childhood diseases], and then you can achieve a very high coverage,' Professor Ngan said. She said she hoped the government would look at the issue.
A Health Department spokesman said it had no plans to include the drug in the vaccination programme.
The three-shot course costs at least HK$3,000 and is available in private health clinics.
Cervical cancer is the fifth most common female cancer in Hong Kong, with 439 new cases and 128 deaths in 2004, said Annie Cheung Nga-yin, professor at the university's department of pathology.
