Personal Stories: Invasive Cervical Cancer – A Reminder of Why We Do This Work

A 55-year-old thin, petite woman entered the clinic today. She was obviously in pain, moving slowly, and begging for help. She stated that she had severe abdominal and pelvic pain, and had also been feeling feverish over the past few weeks. She mentioned that she had some vaginal spotting as well. We helped her carefully onto the examination table and palpated her abdomen, which was extremely tender over her pelvis. As we began to examine her condition, she was crying and moaning. A careful speculum exam immediately revealed an 8 centimeter, fungating cervical tumor that was hemorrhagic and necrotic. A complete pelvic exam revealed her to have at least a Stage IIIB invasive cervical cancer. Her disease is far too progressed to be treated either with cryotherapy or radical hysterectomy. Combined chemotherapy with radiation would be the only treatment that might hope to control her disease, and this option is highly improbable as it would require transport to an oncology treatment center abroad — an option that only the most wealthy can afford. We explained this patient’s situation to her and her sister (who had accompanied her to the clinic), provided her with pain medication, and collected her information so that the doctors could keep track of her palliative care. Her sister had never heard of cervical cancer screening before, had not registered herself for screened, but vowed to return to the CureCervicalCancer: The Phyllis Clinic tomorrow with all of the women that she knows. These incredibly tragic cases solidify in all of our minds the absolute essential nature of preventative treatment. Expensive, high-tech medical solutions are simply not viable in developing countries. The number of lives saved, pain and suffering averted, and families kept intact that “See and Treat” cervical cancer screening could affect is immeasurable. This terrible case touched every member of the team, and reinforced our commitment to performing this work. This evening, we received encouraging feedback from H.O.P.E. staff that the community is very responsive to the cervical cancer screening and treatment methods we are providing, as well as to our team. They are excited that the local healthcare personnel have been trained in these techniques, and will continue to provide ongoing care. Tomorrow, we look forward to being complete observers in the clinic as it is entirely run by the newly trained H.O.P.E. medical team: Dr. Thony Voltaire, nurse Adeline Beliard, and nurse Amilouse Bellamour.