According to an expert from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on March 8, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Indian women after breast cancer, and the incidence of the latter can increase your risk of getting the former.
Dr Neerja Bhatla, Head of Department, Obstetrics and Gynecology, AIIMS, also told IANS that cervical cancer is preventable and can go into remission if detected early and well treated. According to her, each year in India, an estimated 123,907 new cases and 77,000 deaths are reported due to cervical cancer, equating to one woman dying every eight minutes.
"Cervical cancer is unique in that it can be prevented by vaccination and has a long precancerous stage during which women can be tested and treated without suffering undue discomfort, anxiety, or financial hardship," she added.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has set goals to speed up progress toward cancer eradication, including vaccinating 90 per cent of girls with the HPV vaccine by the age of 15. Other agendas also include screening 70 per cent of women between the ages of 35 and 45 with a high-performance test such as the HPV test, and treating 90 per cent of women diagnosed with pre-cancer or cancer, as well as facilitating palliative care, in the next decade.
Lack of awareness, on the other hand, continues to be a major barrier to treatment participation and adherence. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has already begun a screening programme for the three most common cancers: oral cancer, breast cancer, and cervical cancer.
On International Women's Day, AIIMS Delhi used a high-precision HPV test to screen 100 women. The WHO recommends utilising a test that provides results the same day. The GeneXpert platform, which is also used for TB testing, was deployed for the first time at AIIMS to test this method. It incorporates a new HPV test at the point of care as well as a Single Visit Screen and Treat method. The report was ready in 60 minutes, and patients were offered pre-cancer treatment based on the findings.