Screening can save Indian women from cancer

With over 366 million Indian women over 15 at risk for developing cervical cancer, an Indian American specialist says regular pre-cancer screening can prevent this killer disease. 

Such screening is all the more necessary  as there are generally no symptoms in women with early cervical cancers and pre-cancers.

Symptoms occur once the disease becomes invasive and grows into nearby tissue. When this happens, women may develop abnormal vaginal bleeding, bloody discharge from the vagina and pain during sexual intercourse.

Ignoring symptoms allows the cancer to progress to a more advanced stage and lowers the chance of survival. 
Cervical cancer can be prevented through screening for pre-cancer during this lengthy transition period with prevention strategy optimised to the population at risk.

Although Pap smear screening has been the traditional method used for cervical pre-cancer detection, alternative and novel laboratory methods that diagnose HPV infection are now available.

Some of these are of low cost and can be easily performed in rural settings. In a previously unscreened population, a screening programme will detect many current cancers.