Cervical cancer emrges biggest killer of women in India
New Delhi | Sunday, Dec 6 2009 IST
 

Despite the availability of a preventive vaccine, cervical cancer has emerged the biggest killer of Indian women as every seven minute a woman dies of it.

India shares a burden of 1,74,000 cervical cancer deaths of the total five lakh deaths occurring globally every year. The number of cervical cancer deaths is more than breast cancer, experts lamented and pointed out that this was happening despite availability of a vaccine against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), the causative organism responsible for the fatal disease.

They felt that due to low priority being given to women's health in the country, the disease remains neglected resulting in higher death toll.

''We are running around to procure vaccine for H1N1 Virus. But are we aware that cancer cervix is one of the leading causes of death in females in our country, '' said a panel of medical experts while attending a programme organized by the Rockland hospital here.

They stressed on the need of urgent attention to tackle the growing cervical cancer deaths as it was the only cancer which can be prevented by vaccine and which, if diagnosed in its very early stages, could not be life threatening. There are two new vaccines -- bivalent and quadrivates types -- have come up against cancer cervix and they should be given to in three doses over a period of 6 month to every woman in the age group of 10 years to 45 years.

''If we can vaccinate our child against hepatitis, polio and other diseases then why not against Cancer Cervix. Is it because it involves the female population only,'' wondered Dr Sheetal Aggrawal, Senior Gynaecologist, Rockland Hospital. She also said there was really no way to know for sure if one was going to get cervical cancer. However, certain risk factors, which included family history, obesity, smoking and having more children, make a woman more likely to get cervical cancer. However, regular screening with a Pap test and taking steps to prevent high-risk HPV infection could help in reducing the onset of disease.

An HPV infection is usually harmless and temporary and anyone who has had sex, both men and women, can get infected with the virus, Dr Aggarwal explained and added that three out of four people between the ages of 15 and 49 get an HPV infection in their lifetime without even knowing it as the virus tends to go away on its own. Only 15 strains of HPV are high-risk types which could cause cervical cancer and the only way to identify them was to be tested. Of these viral strains HPV types, 16 and 18 cause about 70 per cent of all cervical cancers.

-- (UNI) -- 06DI19.xml

 

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