Filipino docs dance for cervical cancer awareness

MANILA - More than 1,100 doctors on Thursday took part in a five-minute hip-hop routine in the Philippines in a bid to set a Guinness world record and raise awareness of cervical cancer.

The physicians, who numbered 1,146, hoped the attempt would not only set the world record for the biggest hip-hop dance event but also inform Filipino women about cervical cancer, a fatal but preventable disease.

According to the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society, over 7,000 cases of cervical cancer are reported annually in the country and 12 Filipino women die from the disease every day.

"What's worse is that cervical cancer can be asymptomatic during its early stages when it's most treatable and women discover that they have it when the disease has severely progressed,'' said Rey delos Reyes, president of the society.

Four witnesses for the Guinness World Records watched the doctors dance to Michael Jackson's Beat It and Psy's Gangnam Style during the event, organisers said.