BOBIE-LEE DIXON
(bobie-lee dixon@guardian.co.tt)
Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) is another cervical cancer screening method available at various health institutions both private and public in T&T. Don't let the word “acetic acid” scare you, said Family Planning Association of T&T (FPATT) nurse Oneika Paul-Anyika—it's just regular table vinegar.
Paul-Anyika was speaking to a group of Guardian Media women who participated in the organisation's one-day workshop on cervical health, as part of its “Don't Fear The Smear” campaign, an initiative it commenced in observance of Cervical Cancer Prevention Week, which began on January 21 and concludes tomorrow.
She reminded all present that cervical cancer was the second leading cause of death in women in T&T and this was largely due to women not accessing cervical cancer screenings.
Paul-Anyika said VIA testing was an alternative to the conventional Pap smear test, and was quite popular and successfully utilised in countries such as the US, India, and Europe. She said, however, the procedure was now becoming familiar to women in T&T.
“As it is, statistically only five per cent of women in T&T actually access cervical cancer screenings and this five per cent was usually the same people doing revisits.”
VIA vs Pap smear
How does it work?
As Paul-Anyika explained, the only two major differences between a Pap smear and a VIA are the length of time it takes to receive results and the instruments used to do the actual test.
•She illustrated, with a conventional Pap smear, that it's an internal examination using a vaginal speculum, which is used to visualise the cervix.
•A small plastic brush with some bristles is then used to take a sample of some of the cells at the neck of the womb, and that sample is then placed on a microscope slide and sent out to the lab, returning results in two weeks. •With VIA, it involves staining the cervix with a five per cent acetic acid solution. After 30 to 60 seconds, abnormal cervical tissue turns white. She said both doctors and nurses could perform the procedure, but they must be specifically trained correctly in carrying out the exercise to avoid any inaccuracies that could lead to unnecessary worry and medical expense.
•Additionally, there was the benefit of having same-day results and treatment if required.
•Apart from it being an economic procedure, she is also of the view that VIAs reduce the loss of patient revisits.
•Using a multimedia slide, Paul-Anyika demonstrated what a healthy and infected cervix looked like. She said a VIA allows doctors to directly see lesions and other changes in the cervix that are large enough to conclude treatment is needed.
“Sometimes it's challenging to get a person to do their follow up visits. With VIA, because it is a “same-day” procedure with instant results and treatment, it has the advantage of possibly saving more lives," she added.