NEW DELHI: To develop and validate low-cost, point of care indigenous HPV tests for detection of cervical cancer, the AIIMS on Friday launched a multi-centre study with the support of DBT-BIRAC Grand Challenges India in collaboration with WHO’s International Agency for Research in Cancer (IARC).
Dr Neerja Bhatla, former head of department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at AIIMS, Delhi, and Chief Coordinator of the Programme on Friday said validation studies for three indigenous human papillomavirus (HPV) tests will conducted at the AIIMS, New Delhi, National Institute of Cancer Prevention Research, Noida and National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health, Mumbai.
Presently, HPV tests are expensive and need elaborate laboratory set ups. They should be validated to international standards to receive WHO qualification and to have necessary quality assurance, she said.
Low-middle income countries (LMIC) like India contribute to nearly 80% of the disease burden. In India, there are approximately 1,27,526 new cases and 79,906 deaths per annum, Dr Bhatla stated.
“Considering this, the WHO launched ‘Call For Elimination of Cervical Cancer’ with a vision of a cervical cancer free world, in which India is also one of the signatories. By 2030, we should meet the targets of screening 70% of women and vaccinating 90% of girls,” she said. Cervical cancer is preventable and can be treated if detected in precancerous or early stages, she said.
Persistent infection with high-risk HPV has been found to be the necessary cause of cervical cancer. Hence the WHO recommends HPV testing at the age of 35 and 45 years in the elimination strategy.
To achieve the 2030 targets and incorporate HPV testing into the National Program, there is an urgent need to develop and validate low-cost, point of care indigenous HPV tests, which can detect the major cancer-causing HPV genotypes in the Indian population, Dr Bhatla said.
‘Every 2 mins, a woman dies of cervical cancer’
Worldwide, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women. In India, it is the second most common cancer among women after breast cancer. Every two minutes, a woman dies of cervical cancer in the world, Dr Bhatla said. According to GLOBOCAN 2022, an estimated 6,63,301 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer worldwide and about 3,48,874 women died from the disease.