7. Conclusions
Cervical cancer has remained a leading cancer in women in
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. For
close to five decades, standard Pap screening has been available
for opportunistic screening in Southeast Asia, but organized programs
have yet to be implemented, largely due to high costs and
needs for infrastructure within the health system. Recently, alternatives
to Pap smear screening have been introduced in Indonesia,
Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, where VIA-cryotherapy
programs are being actively evaluated. HPV vaccination has been
approved in these five countries with new efforts to integrate primary
prevention at the forefront of cervical cancer control. The
socio-cultural, economic and political turmoil and upheavals in this
regionmay influence the delivery of vital cervical cancer prevention
campaigns.