Cervical cancer kills 28 women in UP every day

About 28 women, suffering from cervical cancer, die in Uttar Pradesh every day.

According to the National Cancer Registry Programme data, at least 50 cases of cervical cancer are reported across Uttar Pradesh in a single day and more than half of these women die during the course of treatment.

This fact was revealed at the just concluded national conference of Association of Radiation Oncologists in India (AROI) here.

According to the registry data, at least 18,600 cases of cervical cancer are reported in UP in a year which is about 15 per cent of all such cases reported annually in India.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates suggest that death rate for cervical cancer stands at 56 per cent. Global data shows that while five lakh cervical cancer cases reported in the world every year, 2.8 lakh die annually due to the condition.

Dr S.K. Srivastava, radiation oncologist at Tata Memorial Hospital was a part of the team which developed the low-cost vinegar test to screen cervical cancer in rural India.

“At this rate, 28 cases reported in UP die every day. The number of deaths can in fact be higher in UP as cancer is diagnosed at an early stage in the West while in India, over 60 per cent cases come to light in third stage or beyond, which leaves the option of just palliative care available,” Dr Srivastava informed at a meeting here.

The initial symptoms of this cancer include abnormal bleeding and vaginal discharge which are often ignored by the women who are either too shy to approach a doctor or do not realize the seriousness of the symptoms.

According to the doctor, a simple test can cut cervical cancer death rate by 31 per cent. In this test, a trained health worker swabs the woman’s cervix with a solution comprising four parts of glacial acetic acid or vinegar and 96 parts of water. A minute later, the cervix is observed in bright light. The acetic acid causes the cancerous or precancerous tumours to turn white. The health worker studies the patch and refers the woman for further diagnosis.

Dr Srivastava regretted that cancer management infrastructure in UP is rather weak.

“You may find 20 cancer centres in Hyderabad or Delhi but the whole of UP does not even have 12 such centres.

Experts at the conclave pointed out that hygiene was one of the top reasons for cause of cancer of the cervix in UP.

“A fall in incidence of cervical cancer has been reported in metros and this is directly related to increased consciousness about hygiene,” they said.