BHUBANESWAR: At least 12 per cent women residing in the slums of Cuttack city were detected with human papillomavirus (HPV) during a recent community sample survey conducted by the State government. However, screening is on to find out how many of the HPV positive women have cancer. Long-lasting infections with high-risk HPVs can cause cancer in parts of the body where HPV infects cells, such as in the cervix and oropharynx.
The Health and Family Welfare department started the pilot survey in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack in the first phase in order to identify women with cervical cancer. While 5,000 women each from the two cities were included in the survey, the screening has not yet been concluded in the Capital city. Although most of the sexually active people are infected with HPV within months to a few years of becoming sexually active, around half of these infections are of high-risk HPV type.
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A health official said most of the HPV infections do not cause cancer as the immune system usually controls the infections. When a high-risk HPV infection persists for many years, it can lead to cell changes that, if untreated, may get worse over time and become cancer, he said. “The State government has started the screening programme to prevent people from falling victims to cervical cancer. Ten districts have been provided with thermal coagulation device for early detection,” he said.
For the screening of breast cancer, the ANM and ASHA workers have been trained and a dentist has been appointed in every district headquarters hospital for detection of oral cancer.The State government has also decided to open histopathology labs in six districts which will be helpful in early detection of cancer cases. As many as 53,000 new cancer patients have been detected in Odisha in 2021.