Cervical Cancer: Bridging the gap between medical advances and awareness in the UAE
Screening works, treatment has advanced, yet fear, myths, and delay still shape outcomes
Cervical cancer sits at a strange crossroads. Medical progress has made it one of the most preventable cancers today. HPV testing is more accurate. Screening intervals are clearer. Treatments are increasingly targeted. Yet late-stage diagnoses continue to appear in clinics across the UAE. The disconnect, doctors say, is not about access to care. It is about awareness, behaviour, and follow-through.
Despite the availability of screening, many women are still not coming in routinely. Dr Susmita Das, Consultant Obstetrics & Gynaecology at Aster Hospital, Mankhool, says several factors continue to hold women back. “Although there is access to preventive screenings in the UAE, several impediments limit women’s utilisation of regular cervical cancer screening,” she says.
A lack of knowledge around early diagnosis, stigma related to gynaecological health, embarrassment, and anxiety around the procedure all play a role.
She adds that many women place work and family responsibilities ahead of their own health. “Educational interventions for the community to enhance women’s awareness and motivation to participate in screening activities are crucial.”
Fear and misunderstanding are recurring themes, according to Dr Reeja Mary Abraham, Specialist Obstetrics & Gynaecology at Medcare Women & Children Hospital. “The biggest barriers are lack of awareness, fear, and misconceptions,” she says.
Many women believe screening is only necessary once symptoms appear, not realising that cervical cancer can remain silent for years. Cultural discomfort around pelvic exams, fear of pain or bad news, time constraints, and prioritising family over personal health further delay screening. “In some cases, women simply don’t realise how quick and life-saving routine screening can be.”
When feeling fine becomes a risk
One of the most common assumptions doctors encounter is that feeling healthy means being safe. Dr Das says this belief frequently delays diagnosis. “Many women wrongly assume they do not have cervical cancer because they are symptom-free and end up being diagnosed too late,” she says.
Cervical cancer can progress without obvious symptoms, and waiting for signs allows the disease to advance. “Early detection and timely intervention – even during the time of feeling well – are a must,” she adds, stressing that proactive health behaviour significantly improves outcomes.
That clinical reality is reinforced by Dr Rajalakshmi Srinivasan, Specialist Obstetrics & Gynaecology at Medcare Royal Speciality Hospital. “Very often,” she says, when asked how frequently this assumption delays diagnosis. “Cervical cancer in its early stages rarely causes symptoms, which is why screening is so critical.”
By the time symptoms such as abnormal bleeding or pelvic pain appear, the disease may already be advanced. “Waiting means losing the opportunity to detect pre-cancerous changes, when treatment is simpler, less invasive, and far more effective.”
With HPV testing and improved screening protocols now available, the weak point lies elsewhere. Dr Das says the biggest breakdown today is awareness and adherence. “Even though HPV testing and better screening practices exist, many women do not know why they matter,” she says. Misunderstandings around HPV add to hesitancy, while fear of testing or results prevents follow-through. “Closing this gap through education and support will be crucial to empowering women to care more about their health.”
Dr Abraham agrees that access has improved, but uptake and follow-up have not. “In most settings, awareness and follow-through are the biggest gaps,” she says. Many women either do not know screening is needed or delay acting on results and follow-up appointments. Fear, including stigma associated with HPV, continues to play a role. “Education and reassurance are key to closing this gap.”
Prevention still does the heaviest lifting
When asked what belief needs to change most urgently, doctors point to the same misconception. Dr Astha Mishra, Specialist Obstetrics & Gynaecology at Aster Clinic, Al Khail Mall (Al Quoz) and Aster Royal Clinic, Arabian Ranches, says screening is often wrongly associated with symptoms or heredity.
“A common misconception is that screening is only needed for women with symptoms, or that cervical cancer is hereditary,” she says. By the time symptoms appear, the disease is often advanced. Routine screening for women aged 24 to 65, along with HPV vaccination for girls aged 9 to 14, she explains, “dramatically reduces late-stage cases and risks.”
Dr Srinivasan distils the issue further. “The belief that ‘I don’t need screening because I feel fine’,” she says, is the most damaging. Cervical screening, she stresses, is preventive care. “If women understood that cervical screening is about prevention, not symptoms, we would see a dramatic drop in late-stage diagnoses.” One timely test, she adds, can prevent cancer entirely.
For women who are diagnosed later than they should be, treatment has evolved significantly. Dr Mishra says advances now include fertility-preserving surgeries, targeted chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and immunotherapy. “However, prevention remains key,” she says. Universal screening through HPV testing and Pap smears allows cancers to be caught early, enabling minor procedures, complete cures, and preservation of quality of life.
Dr Abraham notes that newer treatment options have improved survival and symptom control, even in advanced disease. Still, early detection remains decisive. “When caught early, treatment is often less aggressive, fertility-sparing in some cases, recovery is faster, and long-term quality of life is far better,” she says. Early-stage cervical cancer, she adds, carries very high cure rates, outcomes that are difficult to achieve once the disease is advanced.
The science behind cervical cancer prevention is no longer the limiting factor. What continues to fail women is delayed action, persistent myths, and incomplete follow-through. Until routine screening becomes as normal as seeking treatment, the gap between medical progress and real-world behaviour will continue to shape outcomes.
Dr Astha Mishra, Aster Clinic, Al Khail Mall (Al Quoz) and Aster Royal Clinic, Arabian Ranches
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