Tests by three Indian companies are currently being validated and a decision is likely to be reached by the end of the year
India is in the process of evaluating HPV DNA technology for cervical cancer screening. According to top government sources kits by three Indian companies are currently being tested and by the end of the year there will be more clarity. Cervical cancer kills an estimated 75000 Indian women every year.
This is a significant shift from India’s current position that the most effective method for cervical cancer is visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA). However the uptake of cervical cancer screening in India is poor. According to the National Family health Survey 5, less than 2% (1.9%) of Indian women have ever been screened for cervical cancer. This, despite the fact that India started a programme in 2010 under which it aimed to screen the population for breast, cervical and organ cancer. However the uptake of cervical cancer screening has been poore for a range of reasons including lack of trained manpower and the resistance of Indian women to a pelvic examination. During VIA the cervix is examined with an instrument called colposcope after application of acerbic acid.
HPV DNA test is a RTPCR test which can be conducted with less invasion of privacy and is also more accurate. It is the test recommended by the World Health Organisation for cervical cancer screening.
Said a source: “We are in the process of evaluation HPV DNA tests. We are looking at three Indian companies and all of them are currently being evaluated in the field. We should get a decision by year end.”
India has in the past conducted a health technology assessment that found VIA suitable. In a piece published in 2021 in the Indian Journal of Gynaecological Oncology, researchers from the Indian Council of Medical Research wrote: “Department of Health Research has recently released a Health Technology Assessment for early diagnosis of cervical cancer. There is sufficient evidence that suggests that screening leads to a reduction in the occurrence of cervical cancer cases with a decrease in cancer deaths. It also concludes that among various screening strategies, VIA every 5 year is the most cost-effective screening method in the context of India.”
