|
Sammprada Hospital has noted that due to improving economy, increasing per capita income and better awareness and hygiene, the incidence of cervical cancer has drastically come down in India in the last 15 years, though it still is much higher than in Western countries. If the current trends hold, cervical cancer will cease to be a major public health challenge in the country in the next one decade. This was in sync with the ongoing Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.
According to Dr Radheshyam Naik, consultant medical oncologist, haematologist and bone marrow transplant physician, Sammprada Hospital, Bengaluru: “All aspects of cervical cancer, including prevention, detection, and treatment, have shown remarkable progress in the last 10-15 years. The incidence of cervical cancer in India is coming down drastically as the economy improves. Breast cancer is now becoming much more of a challenge for women health than cervical cancer. In private hospitals, we now see only one to two cases of cervical cancer per week in OPD, compared to 10-12 a decade ago.”
“Cervical cancer in India is on its way to becoming a disease limited only to people from poor socio-economic background, rather than of the middle class. The reason is better genital hygiene, increasing incidence of vaccination among women and popularity of diagnostic tests like pap smear. The government’s announcement in Budget 2024 to encourage universal vaccination for girls in age group of 9-14 years for prevention of cervical cancer is hugely welcome. Once put in action, it will bring India’s incidence of cervical cancer on par with developed nations. The government must start this program without any delay,” he added.
Despite decreasing incidence rates in recent years, cervical cancer remains the second most common female cancer in India, accounting for 10% of all female cancers.
“Better detection and latest treatment options like antiangiogenic drugs and immunotherapy have led to drastically improved prognosis, saving thousands of lives each year. Survival is strongly dependent on the stage at diagnosis. More than 80% of cervical cancer patients in stages 1 and 2 can get totally cured. For stage 3, this figure is 50-60 per cent. While stage 4 patients can't be cured, about half of them can expect to live for five years or more, he said.
|