By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Cervical cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer among women. About 500,000 women in the world are diagnosed with it every year and more than half die.
In Korea, about 4,300 women are newly diagnosed with the deadly disease every year.
The disease becomes serious as malignant tumors at the cervix uteri or cervical area grow. Unlike other cancers, its cause is relatively well known ― human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is said to account for about 70 percent of cases.
The majority of virus types are transmitted through sexual contact and infect the anogenital region. The virus does not significantly affect males.
According to Dr. Nam Ju-hyeon of Asan Medical Center no genetic component to the disease has yet been established but women who start menstruation early, are promiscuous ― or have husbands that are ― are more exposed to the cancer than others.
Since it involves so-called safe sex and hygiene, cervical cancer was considered an ``underdeveloped country-typed disease.''
Thanks to rising awareness in hygiene and the availability of a vaccine, the figure is dropping year by year here, but still the disease remains fatal.
The operation to treat the cancer requires removal of the uterus in many cases, which can be psychologically traumatic for women despite being cured.
Dr. Nam Ju-hyeon is famous for his attempt to effect minimal invasion to the body as well as keeping the uterus.
``All understand the uterus is one of the most important organs to a woman and I always make sure that removal is the last resort to save their lives,'' he says.
A pioneer in pelviscopy surgery, he still conducts about 1,000 surgeries a year. The surgery involves the making of four holes in the body and then using endoscopes and micro knives to remove tumors and organs.
``Since the surgery requires smaller incisions in the abdomen, patients do not bleed so much, which involves less shock and the period for hospitalization is shortened,'' he says.
``It has also less possibility of contamination or infection and leaves much less scarring ― in fact barely any,'' he says.
He said Korea is one of the leading countries in the pelviscopy field because, he believes, their hands are small and delicate. Since the operation involves sophisticated manipulation and sensitivity of the fingertips, he believes smaller-handed Koreans are at an advantage.
Nam said the techniques are becoming much more sophisticated and in the near future many more gynecological cancers will likely be dealt with the surgery.
``In the initial stages, it was only suitable for tumors less than two centimeters and patients with a healthy liver and lungs, but now larger tumors can be dealt with,'' he said. Taking into account the surgery is covered by national insurance, the operation is affordable to all people, he says.
Nam, in fact, criticized the current craze for robotic surgery here. The Da Vinci machine that costs around 2.8 billion won and has arms that must be changed after every 10th procedure makes the average surgery cost from 7 million to 20 million won.
``The robot is helpful for doctors but its effect on patients is the same. Doctors get to take a rest while patients have to pay large sums of money. If the doctor is well trained to perform the pelviscopy then one does not have to use such expensive methods at all,'' he says.
He added that he believed Da Vinci was invented in the United States to guarantee Asian doctors' level of competency.
Nam is now focusing on endometrium cancer, cancer of the lining of the uterus. ``The vaccine will save more women from cervical cancer, but more and younger females are being diagnosed with endometrium cancer. It will be a key factor to lessening gynecological cancer,'' he says.
A graduate of Seoul National University, he has worked at Yale and Harvard University as an exchange professor. He is a member of the Korea Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology and served as director of Asan Gynecological Cancer Center. He has received international attention thanks to his 16-years of experience healing patients using pelviscopy.