A recent study supported by Hamdan Medical Award has recommended a pre-marriage vaccination against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), the main cause of the Cervical Cancer among Emirati women.

 

Also, the study has referred to the importance of getting the regular check-up by Pap smear test, in order to discover the Cervical Cancer in its primary stages, through detecting the primary cellular changes which are usually accompanied by the lack of the production of a number of proteins controlling cells division. 

 

 

The researcher Dr. Suhail Al-Salam, Associate Professor and Consultant pathologist, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAE University, said that during the 2- year research project, he examined 120 tissue samples of Cervical Cancer which belonged to Emirati women who had attended Tawam Hospital from 1991 until 2010.

 

"After receiving the approval from Al-Ain District Human Research Ethics Committee, we started collecting the required samples from the Department of Pathology, Tawam Hospital. Then, the samples were analyzed, microscopically in order to check the presence of HPV in the cancer cells, using modern immunohistochemical and molecular techniques as well as using modern molecular analyzer", Dr. Suhail said.

 

"The research proved that HPV was found within the cancer cells of 84% of the samples, and HPV 16 was found in 71% of the examined samples. Accordingly, a national preventive action program has to be adopted in order to confront to the Cervical Cancer, especially that only 16 types of HPV, among more than 96 types, cause the Cervical Cancer which is transmitted through sexual intercourses," added Dr. Suhail.

 

"Hamdan Medical Award spares no effort to fulfill the needs of the field of medical research, the cornerstone of the renaissance of the medical field locally and globally", Dr. Suhail has referred to the fruitful cooperation with the Award.

 

On the other hand, Prof Najib Al Khaja, Secretary General of Hamdan Medical Award said that such unique medical research sheds light on the second most common Cancer among Emirati women after Breast Cancer, whose terrible economic and social burdens are badly reflected on the societies. "The recommendations of the research paper will be directed to the decision makers, as an appeal for adopting a national strategic plan to confront to the Cervical Cancer, the possible cause of many other kinds of Cancers", Al Khaja said. 

 

"Such national plan should be based on two pillars, the first of which is supporting the public health education on the causes of Cervical Cancer, the ways of the prevention and the importance of early detection. Secondly, appropriate health policies should be applied, such as the compulsory pre-marriage vaccination against the Human Papilloma Virus and the regular tests for married women", Al Khaja added.