Cervical Cancer: Prevention and Control

Cervical Cancer: Prevention and Control

Cervical Cancer: It can be prevented.

Background: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in Indian women. It is a sexually transmitted disease that results from persistence infection with oncogenic types of human papillomavirus (HPV). Oncogenic HPV DNA is found in over 95% of invasive cervical cancers worldwide. Cervical cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths in developing countries because of high HPV infection rates and lack of comprehensive cervical Pap smear testing of susceptible women. Cervical cancer is a preventable disease as it has a well defined, long pre-malignant phase which can be detected by regular screening tests and follow up. Unfortunately, most women in India are not aware about the screening. Cervical cancer screening has the potential to prevent or reduce incidence and mortality disease.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a common virus that is spread through sexual contact. About 14 million people, including teens, become infected with HPV each year. Most of the time HPV has no symptoms so people do not know they have it. There are approximately 40 types of genital HPV. Some types can cause cervical cancer in women and can also cause other kinds of cancer in both men and women. Other types can cause genital warts in both males and females. Four out of five people have at least one type of HPV at some time in their lives. The virus is spread through intimate contact with genital-skin during sexual activity, via tiny breaks in the skin. Usually this happens without anyone ever knowing it or it causing any problems.  Genital HPV is a very common sexually transmitted infection which usually causes no symptoms and goes away by itself, but can sometimes cause serious illness due to persistent infection. HPV is responsible for almost all cases of genital warts and cervical cancer, 90% of anal cancers, 65% of vaginal cancers, 50% of vulva cancers,35% of penile cancers and 60% of oropharyngeal cancers (cancers of the back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils).

Symptoms:

– Abnormal vaginal bleeding
– Excessive vaginal discharge with foul smell
– Vaginal bleeding after having sexual intercourse
– Pain in the lower abdomen
– Pain during sexual intercourse

Diagnosis:

If any of the above mentioned screening tests are found to be positive, it is confirmed by further subjecting the woman to below procedures:

Colposcopy – A procedure in which a colposcope (a lighted, magnifying instrument) is used to check the vagina and cervix for abnormal areas.

Biopsy – If abnormal cells are found in a Pap test, the doctor may do a biopsy. A sample of tissue is cut from the cervix and viewed under a microscope by a pathologist to check for signs of cancer. A biopsy that removes only a small amount of tissue is usually done in the outpatient department (OPD). A woman may need to go to a hospital for a cervical cone biopsy (removal of a larger, cone-shaped sample of cervical tissue).

Treatment:

Three types of treatment are used to treat cervical cancer viz. surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy depending upon the stage of cervical cancer:

Total hysterectomy with or without bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy.

Modified radical hysterectomy and removal of lymph nodes.

Radical hysterectomy and removal of lymph nodes followed by radiation therapy plus chemotherapy.

Prevention:

Screening tests diagnose few changes in the cervix which are pre-cancerous and could develop into cervical cancer in future. If the abnormal tissue or cells can be removed, then the disease can be prevented from developing and causing problems. Cervical screening is a method to prevent cervical cancer by performing a simple test called Pap smear test (Pap smear is a simple and painless test, Pap test is done in girls or women above 21 years and should be repeated once in every 3 years. If this test is combined with HPV DNA test (for women above 30 years of age), then the duration of screening can be increased to 5 years).

How to Prepare for Your Pap Test ?

According to CDC ( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
You should not schedule your Pap test for a time when you are having your period. If you are going to have a Pap test in the next two days—

a. You should not douche (rinse the vagina with water or another fluid).
b. You should not use a tampon.
c. You should not have sex.
d. You should not use a birth control foam, cream, or jelly.
e. You should not use a medicine or cream in your vagina.

 

Md. Kausar Neyaz, Ph.D

(http://www.bio-services.org/cervical-cancer/)

January 05, 2018

References:

American Cancer Society. https://www.cancer.org/latest-news/special-coverage/cervical-health-awareness-month.html

Int J Womens Health. 2015 Apr 16;7:405-14. doi: 10.2147/IJWH.S50001. eCollection 2015.

Epidemiology of cervical cancer with special focus on India. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25931830



He initiated TQM as a management way in SRF and the Company has so far earned the Deming Prize for two of its businesses, for the tyre cord in 2004 and for the Chemicals Business in 2012.

Mr. Bharat Ram was elected President of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) during 2000-2001 and continued to play important roles as Chair and Member of various council of CII till March 2015. He co-chaired the Indo German Consultative Group (IGCG) which consisted of eminent citizens from both the countries from 2002 till 2014.

Mr. Bharat Ram is actively involved in social development activities. Currently he is Chairman of:

  • SRF Foundation, the social wing of SRF, which manages its own schools and also supports education in villages;
  • The Lady Shri Ram College (LSR) for Women in Delhi which has consistently been rated as one of the two best colleges of India;
  • The Shri Ram Schools; and
  • CAF (India) – Charities Aid Foundation (India); and
  • A governing body member of CAPED– a registered Society for spreading cancer awareness program

He is on the governing body of SPIC Macay, a society for the promotion of the Indian Classical Music. He is himself an accomplished sitar player, having learnt it from Pt. Ravi Shanker.

Mr. Arun Bharat Ram has won many awards and accolades, The Jamshedji Tata Award, which was conferred on him by the Indian Society for Quality (ISQ) for the year 2006 and the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit, presented by the Federal Government of Germany in 2008. Mr. Bharat Ram schooled at the Doon School, Dehra Dun and graduated in Industrial Engineering from the University of Michigan, U.S.A.

Prior to his current appointment, Dr. Vaid practiced and coordinated the Department of Medical Oncology at the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre (RGCI) in Rohini, Delhi, India. In addition to his active medical oncology practice, Dr. Vaid has participated in many national and international clinical trials as a principal and sub-investigator. His clinical interests include Hemato-Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant. He has also taken keen interest in treating breast cancer, lung cancer and genitor-urinary cancers.

Dr. Vaid established the bone marrow transplant services in the private sector in Delhi starting with Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre during the last decade and has cumulatively carried out the largest number of bone marrow transplants in the private sector in Delhi. Currently at Medanta, he leads a large team which comprises of hemato-oncologists, pediatric transplant specialists, hemato pathologists specializing in transplant pathology, transfusion specialists, and molecular pathologists required for HLA typing and post transplant chimerism monitoring.

Dr. Vaid lectures nationally and internationally and has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and abstracts. His work has appeared in Journal of Clinical Oncology, Journal of Thoracic Oncology, World Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Diseases International. Dr. Vaid currently chairs the Indian Council of Medical Research Subcommittee on formulating guidelines for treatment of Hodgkin’s Disease in India. He is recognized as Teacher and Examiner for superspeciality course of Medical Oncology by National Board of Examinations and the Bombay University and a reviewer of thesis for award of PhD degree in Life Sciences, Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, Kanpur, India. He is an editorial board member for the following journals “Research & Reviews: A Journal of Medicine” and “Research & Reviews: A Journal of Toxicology”, and “South Asian Journal of Cancer”.

He was conferred the prestigious “Padma Shree” Award, one of the highest civilian award in India, by the President of India in 2009 for his contribution to the field of medicine on 14th April, 2009.
Prior to Stellaris, Alok was a Partner at another VC firm, Helion Ventures, where he led enterprise software and services investments. Before his career in venture capital, Alok was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of SAP India and had been associated with SAP since the year 2004 in various leadership roles in the United States and in India. Before SAP, Alok also worked with Siebel Systems, The McKenna Group, McKinsey & Company and Cadence Design Systems.

Alok has completed his MBA from INSEAD (France), MS in Computer Sciences from University of Texas, Austin and his B.Tech in Computer Science from IIT Delhi.

Alok is interested in cricket, light & classical Indian music, hiking and long distance running. In addition, Alok is passionate about mathematical puzzles and used to run a weekly blog at http://alokgoyal1971.com/.

Alok’s association with cancer started in 2007 when his mother was diagnosed with a late stage Ovarian Cancer. He saw his mother battle with cancer for more than four years, during which time he was the primary care giver.

Committees / Ambassador Radhika is a part of many committees in CII and is also Pinkathon Ambassador. Social Initiatives

  • Radhika has participated in plays as a lead singer to raise funds for NGO’s like Azad Foundation and CAPED.
  • Mamma Mia Again, ABBA songs Musical, was staged at The Shri Ram Center, Delhi in December 2016 to raise funds for Azad Foundation.
  • I have a Dream, ABBA songs Musical, was staged at Apparel House, Gurgaon to raise funds for CAPED in April 2017.
  • I have a Dream, ABBA songs Musical, was staged at The Shri Ram Center, Delhi to raise funds for CAPED in December 2017.
  • She was also instrumental in staging a play, Khushi Ek Ehsaas, by the visually impaired children of JPM School to raise funds for Blind Relief Association at Kamani Auditorium in January 2016.

Hobbies

  • Radhika learns music at Theme.
  • She also loves to run and has completed 3 half Marathons in India in 2017.

Amitav worked for Bristol Myers Squibb based in Princeton for 5 years. He has been involved with his family-run business since 1994.

Amitav was educated at the Doon School and went on to study Economics at St. Stephens College, Delhi University. He has an MBA from UNC Chapel Hill, USA. He sits on the board of Central Square Foundation, AVPN India and several other non/for-profit organisations in India.

In 2010, he became an Aspen Fellow, in 2015 he became an Ashoka Fellow and 2017 he was incubated as an N/Core Fellow.

Organizational Positions
  • Vice President, Fertility Preservation society of India/ 2014 – 2018
  • Coordinator, Deptt of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Artemis Hospital, Gurgaon, April 2007 – Nov 2009
  • Coordinator, (North India), Clinical Research Committee, Federation of Obstetrics & Gynecology Society of India (FOGSI) 2003-2008
  • Executive Member, Adolescent committee, Association of Obstetrics & Gynaecologists of Delhi (AOGD ) 2006 – 2007
  • Executive Member, Association of Gynaecologic Oncologist of India,2009 -2011
  • Chairperson, Gynaec. Oncology Committee, Gurgaon Obstetrics and Gynaecology Society, 2011
  • Executive Member, Gynaec.Oncology Committee, Association of Obstetrician & Gynaecologists of Delhi (AOGD) 2012 -2014
  • Executive Member, Gurgaon Obstetrics and Gynaecology Society (GOGS), 2012 -2013
  • Coordinator – Young Women Club ( National Project under the aegis of National Adolescent Health Committee, FOGSI) 2012 -2013
  • Treasurer, Asia Oceania Research Organization in Genital infections and Neoplasia ( AOGIN) –India, 2011 -2015
  • Executive member, Gynaec Oncology Committee, Federation of Obstetrics & Gynecology Society of India (FOGSI).2012 -2015
  • Peer Reviewer for the Journal of Federation of Obstetrics & Gynecology Society of India (FOGSI).
  • Peer Reviewer for The Indian Journal of Gynaecologic Oncology.
  • Invited as a trainer by Vattikuti Foundation, Michigan, USA for – Gynaec. Robotic Surgery Training of Gynaecologists at KIMS Vattikuti Institute of Robotic Surgery, Hyderabad
  • Executive member, AOGD(Association of Obsterician and Gynaecologist of Delhi ) 2013 – 2014
  • Executive member, AOGD(Association of Obsterician and Gynaecologist of Delhi ) 2014-2015
  • Executive member,GOGS 2013
  • Executive member, Gynaec.Oncology Committee, Association of Obstetrician & Gynaecologists of Delhi (AOGD) 2013 -2014
  • Executive member, Gynaec.Endoscopy Committee, Association of Obstetrician & Gynaecologists of Delhi (AOGD) 2013 -2014
  • Executive member, International academic exchange committee(FOGSI) 2013 – 2015
  • Executive member, Delhi Society of Gynaec endoscopists.2014- 2015
  • Co-Chairperson, Gynaec.Oncology Committee, Association of Obstetrician & Gynaecologists of Delhi (AOGD) 2015 -2016
  • Executive member, Gynaec Oncology Committee, Federation of Obstetrics & Gynecology Society of India (FOGSI).2015 -2017