People urged to join walk against cancer

PORT Moresby residents have been urged to join a walk on Sunday as part of the campaign against cancer in women.
Globeathon PNG chapter coordinator Dr Mathias Sapuri said the “walkers” would be joining “a growing chorus of voices from around the world calling to break down the walls of silence around GYN (cervical) cancers and to spread awareness.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer says nearly one sixth of the estimated 6.6 million new cancer cases each year are found in the cervix, ovaries and uterus.
“It is tough for many women to recognise the symptoms,” he said.
“And by the time these cancers are detected, the disease is often already at an advanced stage and survival rates are shockingly low.
“With the female reproductive system a taboo subject in many societies and cultures, GYN cancers have long been ignored and the research needed to beat them is underfunded.”
He said in developing nations, women were nearly 500 times more likely to develop cervical cancer, making it the second largest cancer killer of women.
“Now is the time to help women take care down there.”