Claim: Harmful chemicals included in soap can cause vaginal cancer
Recently, there was a false allegation making the rounds on WhatsApp that said there was a connection between using soap and the onset of cervical cancer.
It was claimed that Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) was the source of the communication.
*TEASER HOSPITAL MESSAGES*
Kindly inform your spouse about this. Medical professionals [LUTH] are advising all women, moms included, to take extreme caution as vaginal cancer is a widespread disease. Please refrain from washing your vagina with soap and instead use water. Soap generally contains a very harmful chemical that may cause vaginal cancer. Vaginal cancer cases are common in most general hospitals, so please take note of this vital information. Please forward this letter to those who hold special meaning for you, if you have romantic feelings for someone.
The public's concerns about this claim have prompted a closer look at the claim and its scientific validity.
Such false information has been spread before; in 2019, a claim of a similar nature surfaced and was refuted by the fact-checking group Dubawa.
"You see, this is not the first time such broadcast will be going out," Hassan Falola, a senior medical consultant at the LUTH Public Relations Unit, remarked. That's a spam message. False information is frequently sent using eminent organizations' names. LUTH is not the sole casualty. They occasionally cite references. There has not been a rise in vaginal cancer cases, and the message is not from LUTH.
Confirmation
Vaginal cancer: what is it?
The vagina is a conduit via which bodily fluid exits the body during menstruation, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Another name for it is the birth canal. The cervix, or uterus opening, and the vulva, or external genitalia, are connected by the vagina.
Vaginal cancer, sometimes referred to as cancer of the vagina, is a type of cancer that begins in the vagina (primary vaginal cancer), according to Cancer Council. It is not to be confused with secondary vaginal cancer, which is cancer that has spread to the vagina from another part of the body.
In 2023, it is predicted that about 100 individuals would receive a vaginal cancer diagnosis. Sixty-six is the average age at diagnosis.
Vaginal cancer types
The following primary vaginal cancer types were categorized by the council:
The thin, flat (squamous) cells lining the vagina are the precursors of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). About 85% of instances of vaginal cancer are of this type, which is also the most frequent.
Adenocarcinoma, which accounts for 5% to 10% of vaginal malignancies, arises from the glandular (mucus-producing) cells of the vagina.
Mucosal (vaginal) melanoma begins in the melanocytes, which are the cells that give skin its color. This type of vaginal cancer is uncommon.
Sarcoma is an uncommon type of vaginal cancer that originates from deep within the vaginal wall and grows from muscle, fat, and other tissue.
Because of this, it's critical to rely on reliable, fact-based information when making decisions about your health.
Evidence suggests that douching and antiseptic use may upset the pH balance and natural bacterial equilibrium in the vaginal region, according to physician Dr. Patrick Ezie.
Dr. Ezie went on to say that while there was no strong evidence to support a direct connection between this disturbance and vaginal cancer, it might cause discomfort or infection.
Vulvar squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL), a precancerous condition that frequently exhibits no symptoms, is one of the additional causes or risk factors for vaginal cancer. According to the Cancer Council, smoking tobacco, prior pelvic radiation therapy, a history of cervical cancer, and exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES), an artificial form of the female hormone oestrogen administered during pregnancy (1939–1971), are among the risk factors.
Hadiza Abdulrahman wrote this fact check, and Annabel Nwachukwu edited it (Radio Nigeria)
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