Cancer Awareness Day: 342000 people die every year due to cervical cancer, know why routine test is important

HPV i.e. Human Papillomavirus causes about 99 percent cervical cancer It is responsible for most of the cases and is also responsible for some other cancers, which can occur in both men and women. In India, cervical cancer is the third most common cancer affecting women and accounts for about 18.3 percent of the cases. Is responsible for. Every year around 3,42,000 people die due to this worldwide.

Dr Kriti Chadha, Chief Scientific and Innovation Officer, Metropolis Healthcare Limited According to, it should be remembered that usually its pre-cancerous stage is long and that is why cancer diseases caused by HPV can be prevented by vaccination and routine screening.

What is the importance of routine screening for HPV?
Cervical cancer mostly occurs without any symptoms in the initial stages and as the disease progresses, irregular bleeding or discomfort also increases. Routine screening such as Pap smear and HPV test are important in identifying pre-cancerous changes in the body. According to screening guidelines, women over the age of 30 should undergo high-risk HPV testing or Pap-HPV co-testing every five years, with the Pap smear being able to detect the virus through abnormalities in the cells.

This combination test, also called a co-test, detects changes or abnormalities in cells at an early stage, giving time to take necessary steps before the cancer attacks.

Cervical cancer screening improved
Cervical cancer screening has now become more technologically advanced than before, which has led to improvements in diagnostics. Newer modalities, including liquid-based cytology (LBC) and HPV DNA testing, offer the advantage of greater sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy. For example, at Metropolis Healthcare, over the past decade, we have seen a significant increase in LBC testing, as well as a fourfold increase in the number of abnormalities they can detect, thanks to improvements in these processes. Is.

Similarly, innovations in molecular HPV testing, including DNA and mRNA analysis, can more accurately detect more risky virus strains, thereby facilitating prevention.

elimination strategy
WHO has formulated an ambitious strategy to completely eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem by 2030. This includes vaccinating 90 percent of girls up to 15 years of age, screening 70 percent of women aged 35 to 45 years, and providing treatment facilities for 90 percent of pre-cancer and cancer cases. Achieving these important goals could eliminate HPV-related cancers worldwide.

But despite progress in the areas of screening and vaccination, avoidance of regular screening has been observed on a large scale, which poses a serious challenge. There is a need to make the general public aware about the benefits of regular check-ups and preventive measures. With the recent availability of self-collection kits, women can be actively encouraged to undergo screening.

This type of testing facility can motivate and encourage more women to get screened, which helps in detecting the disease before cancer develops in the cells. Routine screenings are important for reducing the incidence of HPV-related cancers and ensuring a healthier future for women.