The recorded trend is, women after 40 years of age, most of the women in other countries go for mammography every year but in Nepal not even 1 percent women go for it. Though experts said that there are no factual data regarding breast cancer sufferers in Nepal, Medical experts have claimed that roughly 50,000 women are suffering from breast cancer. Government needs to focus and initiate researches in this field so that it will be easier to bring plans and programs to prevent breast cancer.

World Health Organization (2010) ranked cervical cancer as the most frequent cancer among women of 15 to 44 years age in Nepal. It is also the biggest killer amongst all cancers in Nepali women.

Cervical cancer starts in the squamous cells on the surface of the cervix and can be detected by Pap smear test and colposcopy. Due to the lack of technology accurate screening of cancer cases of the cervix in Nepal continues to be a major problem.

CC is associated with sexual activities that include sex at an early age, frequency of the sex, and number of sexual partners. In addition, poor economic status, not getting HPV vaccine, drug (diethylstilbestrol) intake during pregnancy, and weaken immune system also causes cervical cancer. Most of the cervical cancers are caused by Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). The morbidity and mortality rates of cervix cancer are very high, so early detection and treatment is the only solution to it. Most of the time, early cervical cancer has no symptoms.  However, symptoms that may include: abnormal vaginal bleeding between periods, after intercourse, or after menopause, continuous vaginal discharge, periods become heavier and last longer than usual.

Treatment for more advanced cases is mainly by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Mitomycin C, carboplatin is first line choice of drugs. Sometimes radiation and chemotherapy are used before or after surgery. Cervical cancer is totally preventable, so there is no excuse for not getting tested for it on time. 

HIV/AIDS: Women Suffer in Silence

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has become a global crisis challenging the humanity of our time. Screening for HIV infection was started in the country in April, 1986 and the first case of HIV/AIDS was diagnosed in Nepal in July 1988 and was in a foreigner. With the increased rate of migration, trafficking within and across the country, child labor and injecting drug users, the HIV/AIDS rate has dramatically increased here in Nepal. There are between 24,649-28,359 female sex workers in Nepal with an estimated HIV prevalence of 1.69 percent.  As per UN AIDS, the number of children with HIV was 75,000 (2005), number of women infected from HIV (15+) was 16,000 (2005). Imagine the increases through 10 years at now.