Report: India Severely lacking in Cervical Cancer Screenings

By: WE Staff | Tuesday, 30 January 2024

1 per cent of Indian women are reportedly receiving cervical cancer screenings, despite the WHO's recommendation that at least 70% of women should have testing. The percentage of screened women for breast and oral cancer stays close to 1 per cent.

About 7.1 per cent of women between the ages of 25 and 65 stated that they had a cervical cancer screening at least once in their lives, according to research conducted in an urban South Indian area. India has a much lower cervical cancer screening prevalence than Western nations, where 68 to 84 per cent of women get checked for the condition.

According to the National Family Health Survey, women who lived in urban areas and had greater household income and educational levels also had higher screening prevalence. In addition, there is a wealth-based disparity in the prevalence of cervical cancer screening, with greater screening rates among those with higher incomes.

As of 2019-21, the percentage of women screened for oral, breast, and cervical cancer was 0.7 per cent, 0.6 per cent, and 1.2 per cent, respectively. In comparison, more than 70 per cent of women in advanced economies including Sweden, Ireland, the United States, and the United Kingdom had cervical cancer screenings.

As of 2019, women aged 30-49 in BRICS nations were screened for cervical cancer, with Russia leading with 93 per cent, Brazil with 58 per cent, and South Africa with 52 per cent whereas India, Egypt, and Ethiopia have less than 5 per cent coverage.

Another survey by Apollo Hospitals found 25 per cent of breast cancer incidence in women aged under 40 in India.

A study in Tamil Nadu found that 10 per cent of women aged less than five years and five to seven years were screened for cervical cancer, with 85 per cent having poor knowledge. State-sponsored screening drives make cancer testing accessible to low-income groups, but lack of awareness is not the sole factor.

Southern and Northeast states are increasing women's cancer screenings, with Tamil Nadu having the highest percentage of women screened for cervical cancer which is 7 per cent, and breast cancer standing at 3.8 per cent. Kerala, Mizoram, Manipur, and Maharashtra also have more than 1 per cent of screenings.

Andhra Pradesh has the highest rate of oral cancer screening among states standing at 5 per cent, followed by West Bengal with the lowest 0.1 per cent, and Gujarat at 0.2 per cent.