| Cervical cancer |
| Cervical cancer (Cancer of the neck of the
womb) is the fifth commonest cancer in Hong Kong. One hundred and fifty women
died as a result of this disease every year. Fortunately, many of these tragedies
can be prevented by cervical screening. This is because the process of development
of cancer in the cervix was gradual and usually takes a long time. Cervical screening involves the collection of cells from the cervix. The woman will be asked to lie on an examination couch with the legs separated. The doctor or a trained nurse will pass a speculum into the vagina. After a thorough inspection, a specimen will be collected. It is a common belief that yearly test is necessary. In fact, according to the guidelines of the Hong Kong College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, three yearly tests should be sufficient if previous tests were normal. Another important point to note is that the solo objective of cervical screening is to prevent cervical cancer. Other gynaecological diseases may not be picked up by cervical screening alone. The collected specimen will then be assessed in the laboratory. The Bethesda system was recommended for reporting by the Hong Kong College. In case of mild cellular changes (ASC-US), repeat cervical screening in 4 to 6 months is recommended. For more severe changes, referral to specialist for colposcopic examination is necessary. Colposcopic examination is basically inspection of the magnified cervix. The magnification together with the application of different chemicals would help to identify the abnormal areas for taking tissue samples. Further management would depend on the findings in the tissue samples. If only the mildest type of abnormalities (CIN I) were found, repeat cervical screening will be sufficient as most of these abnormalities will disappear with time. For more severe abnormalities, or if the CIN I persisted, the patient can be treated with a very simple procedure called LEEP or LLETZ. This is a simple procedure which takes 10 to 20 minutes. It is usually done in the clinic under local anaesthesia and more than 9 out of 10 patients will be cured. The Lady Helen Woo Womenˇ¦s Diagnostic and Treatment Centre at Tsan Yuk Hospital provides a one-stop service from cervical screening to colposcopic examination and treatment. The service was provided by experienced staff of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the University of Hong Kong. Treatment plan will be based on the guidelines of the Hong Kong College, individualised according to the clientsˇ¦ conditions. All laboratory tests will be performed in the pathology laboratory of the University of Hong Kong which was accredited by the College of American Pathologists. |
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 Cervical smear |  Colposcopy |