Prevent and Detect Cervical Cancer in Guatemala

In 2024, WINGS provided nearly 4,400 cervical cancer screenings, a 31% increase over 2023 results. In keeping with past data, about one-third of those were to women who had never been screened before. WINGS offers cervical cancer screenings in all our clinics, either within our stationary clinics or our mobile unit clinics. We use visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) for immediate detection of cervical cell abnormalities and same-day treatment using thermocoagulation for pre-cancerous cells that may lead to cervical cancer.

As you can see from the 2024 results, most (93.3%) of the women screened were found to have no positive (abnormal) cells and did not require further treatment. Of the 245 women who received a positive diagnosis for abnormalities, all but 28 of them received thermocoagulation treatment or were referred to other providers for further testing. These 28 women fall into a few different categories: women who wanted to think about their options for treatment, women who decided to come back at a later date because they had also had a different procedure that same day, or women who simply did not want to be treated.

At WINGS, giving our patients all the information we have and then allowing them to make the best decision for themselves is one of the most important aspects of our care. Each person knows their own comfort level around making heath decisions and we do everything in our power to educate, answer questions, and respect each woman’s decisions regarding her body.

In 2025, we aim to maintain the number of VIA screenings from last year, with many of those screenings occurring in the most rural, hard-to-reach areas of the country. Your support means that we are able to offer this service, knowing that we are saving lives. On behalf of our medical providers and the women we serve, ¡GRACIAS!