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According to a report by SRL Diagnostics, nearly 50% of middle-aged Indian women had positive cases of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV), the leading risk factor for cervical cancer of the uterine cervix.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a group of viruses that is widespread worldwide. There are more than 100 types of HPV, of which at least 14 are carcinogenic (also called high risk types). The virus is mainly transmitted through badual contact and most people are infected with HPV shortly after the onset of badual activity.
Two types of HPV (16 and 18) account for 70% of cervical cancers and precancerous cervical lesions. The badysis of HPV test reports of 4,500 Panindian women between 2014 and 2018 showed that women aged 31 to 45 years had the highest percentage of high-risk HPV, with 47%. Next come 30% of women aged 16 to 30 who are at risk.
Cervical cancer accounts for one-third of all deaths worldwide, with 74,000 deaths each year, and is the second leading cause of cancer death among women in India.
However, "cervical cancer is also the only cancer that can be prevented if care is taken at the initial stage," said B.R Das of SRL Diagnostics in a statement released here Saturday.
"The high death rate from cervical cancer worldwide could be reduced through a comprehensive approach that includes screening, early diagnosis and treatment programs," he added.
In addition to vaccination before girls become badually active, secondary prevention can be performed by a regular Pap smear cervical smear, which can detect all abnormal cells of the cervix before they become cancerous.
"While the PAP test is far more likely to omit precancerous cervical disease, the HPV test is more sensitive to detecting a localized and slightly less sensitive infection for a distant infection," noted Das.
First published: February 04, 2019 09:57 AM IST
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