Health promotion practice among primary care physicians in Qatar

Cervical cancer is a common type of cancers that affects women worldwide. It is considered to be the second most seen cancer among women, and sometimes at younger ages it can be life-threatening. It is closely linked to HPV infection; especially HPV 16 and 18 strains which cause the lining of the cervix to change from normal to precancerous lesions, which if not detected and treated can change to cancer. Also HPV is associated with development of skin-coloured growths (genital warts). It is a very preventable disease due to the Pap screening test, which is still missing in developing countries sadly, and therefore many cases go undetected or present at a late stage whereby no further actions can be done. And this is considered a total tragic loss and waste of women. This review article will highlight a simple, and general overview about HPV epidemiology, Pap screening in the era of HPV vaccination, and the proposed and approved Gardasil vaccine to combat cervical cancer in terms of effectiveness, tolerability, safety and pricing; and including Gardasil dosing, and administration, and its importance as a life-saving vaccine against cervical cancer. The vaccine is considered to be currently a great advancement for women's health however there still remains unanswered questions.