Understanding Anita's Choices with Cervical Cancer

I write this with a very heavy heart as Cantopop fans around the world mourn once again for the loss of another superstar and one of the most influential female entertainers in Hong Kong, Anita Mui Yim Fong, who died of cervical cancer at the age of 40. She was like a dependable friend, always entertaining us with a new album, movie or concert, and so beautiful, talented, and thoughtful. I was always anticipating her next metamorphosis, be it hairstyle, fashion trend or musical endeavor. I was extremely saddened by her untimely passing, and also angered that she had long known about having cancer yet was not more proactive in seeking early treatment so she could continue crooning to us until a ripe old age.

What were the real reasons she was an uncooperative patient and refuse treatment, as claimed by her doctors? If she loved her fans and her career and living a healthy life, why did she not fight the disease head on rather than wait until it was too late? Her older sister Mui Oi Fong also died of cancer, but she was able to fight it for 15 years before succumbing to it, but why not Anita? Was it because she was too lonely to continue on, after the deaths of her very close friends and fellow entertainment icons Roman Tam (October 2002) and Leslie Cheung (April 2003)? Was she in denial of her diagnosis, ignored it and hoped to just wish it away? Was it because she couldn't find a man in her life to give her the love and children she wanted? Was it she was so vain that she didn't want anyone to perceive her as being weak and unattractive from the side effects of treatment? Or was it her own slow, silent and painful way of dying, using what little extra time she had left to fulfill all those last items on her to do list in life? She may have appeared to be brave and courageous, never showing any signs of pain or fatigue, performing in her final concerts in November and working to the end, but apparently not brave enough to fight the cancer with all means available which would have allowed her to live a much longer, fuller and healthy life. I have nothing but the utmost respect for her and miss her terribly, but her decision to delay treatment was a terrible misjudgment on her part and inexcusable.

Whatever her reasons, it was a foolish way to go and it will be hard for many to accept her choice to leave us in this manner. Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers that affect a woman's reproductive system. Various strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection, are responsible for the majority of cases. In most women, the usual immune system response to HPV exposure is harmless. But for some, the virus may be harbored in the body for several years before it transforms some surface cells on the cervix into cancer cells, with a higher risk for older women. Due primarily to Pap test screening, deaths from cervical cancer have been reduced significantly over the last several decades. Even so, more than 12,000 women annually in the United States find out that they have invasive cervical cancer, and about 4,000 die of the disease.

What are some of the risk factors for cervical cancer?
Factors that increase the risk of cervical cancer include:
• Having many sexual partners - increases the exposure to HPV.
• Early sexual activity - first sexual intercourse before age 18 raises the risk of HPV from susceptibility of immature cells to the pre-cancerous changes caused by HPV.
• Other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) - someone who has chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis or HIV/AIDS, also has a greater chance of having been exposed to HPV.
• Cigarette smoking - use of tobacco increases the risk of pre-cancerous changes as well as cancer of the cervix.

How long could Anita have lived if she undergone treatment for cervical cancer?
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), the percentage of women who live at least five years after receiving a diagnosis of pre-invasive cervical cancer is almost 100 percent. Many women live much longer. If Anita had undergone treatment at this stage when she was first diagnosed, chances are good that she would have suffered much less pain and would still be with us today. Many women are treated successfully for invasive cervical cancer and live full, productive lives. According to the ACS, more than 90 percent of women with invasive cervical cancer live for more than five years if treated when the cancer is still confined to the cervix.

Why did Anita turn to Chinese medicine as her first treatment option?
Anita tried chemotherapy and electrotherapy in the end, only after turning to Chinese medicine as her first treatment option. She had a strong belief in it and thought that with her tough will and more natural healing methods, it would be more appropriate for her. The conventional Western cancer therapies mentioned above have been increasingly used in Chinese hospitals since the 1960s. However, the side effects of these treatments are often highly debilitating, including serious side effects from chemotherapy such as hair loss, fatigue and damage to good cells as well as bad cells; pain from surgery; and possible dysfunction in the urinary or intestinal systems. A woman's sexuality may also be affected by surgery, especially a hysterectomy. She may grieve because she can no longer have children.

Anita's wish to marry and have children may have also been a deterrent for her to undergo any type of radical surgery to rid herself of her cancer. Some women feel that if they had a hysterectomy, that they would be less of a woman because they can no longer have children, and forgo that option. Anita gave up her life for a dream she could have fulfilled if she had more time. She was a very caring person, and would have made a wonderful mother, whether or not she gave birth to a child.

It is important to remember that the journey with cancer does not end when the cancer is gone. It was reported that AnitaÕs tumor had disappeared after having electrotherapy treatment, but what she may not have realized was that the cancer had spread to other parts of her body and causing major damage to her other organs. This may not be detected until serious symptoms or pain occurs, and by then, it might be too late. If you are a woman who is sexually active or at risk for developing cervical cancer, get regular Pap tests and discuss any abnormal results your doctor. If cancer is diagnosed, do not wait but seek treatment immediately. It could be a matter of life or death.