Experts warn of Asia's 'hidden cancer' risk

Jatupol Srisomboon, chairman of Chiang Mai university's gynecologic and oncology department, said that of the 500,000 cases of cervical cancer diagnosed worldwide each year, 266,000 are in the Asia-Pacific.

The region also accounts for more than half the world's deaths from the disease, with 143,000 dying every year out of a total global fatality rate of 270,000, he said.

"It is the region's hidden cancer," he told the conference. "Every woman is at risk. Cervical cancer affects women in the prime of their life."

In Thailand, there are 6,243 cases of the disease diagnosed each year, with 42 percent of sufferers dying.