In India, nearly 50% of middle aged women were found to have positive cases of human papilloma virus (HPV) which is the main risk factor for cervical cancer. This virus is mainly tranmitted through sexual contact, says report.
Cervical cancer accounts for one third of all global deaths, with 74,000 deaths occurring annually and is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women in India.
However, “cervical cancer is also the only cancer which is preventable if care is taken in the initial stage”, said B.R Das from SRL Diagnostics in a statement.
“The high mortality rate from cervical cancer globally could be reduced through a comprehensive approach that includes screening, early diagnosis and treatment programmes, while, PAP test is much more likely to miss precancerous cervical disease, HPV testing is more sensitive for detecting localised infection and marginally less sensitive for distant infection,” he added.