In Telangana, ‘cervical cancer-hit women knock doctors’ door only in 3rd, 4th stage’ | Hyderabad News

HYDERABAD: Amid the worrying news of Telangana recording 6,000 new cases of cervical cancer every year, oncologists and health experts said what is more worrying is the fact that a majority of the affected women visit them only after the cancer reaches its advanced third and fourth stage.
Not just this, most of the cancer-hit women do not even undergo the pap smear test till they are diagonosed with advanced stage of cancer, doctors pointed out.

Dr N Jayalatha, director of MNJ Institute of Oncology and Cancer Research, said cervical cancer is completely preventable and treatable in the initial stages — stage 1 and stage 2(a) — with minimally invasive procedures.
“A majority of the cases, however, pertain to the advanced stages wherein the women cannot be completely treated. We can, at the most, extend the lifetime of the patient.” As head of the largest tertiary centre for cancer treatment in Telangana, Dr Jayalatha said Telangana records 6,000 new cases of cervical cancer each year.
Cervical cancer currently accounts for 12% of all cancers in India due to lack of aggressive screening. The tendency to hide symptoms also adds to the problem.
“Symptoms like white discharge, abnormal uterine bleeding and post-coital bleeding should not be ignored or hidden. Contacting the doctor and getting evaluated is important. Since women have a tendency to hide these issues, many cancer cases are detected late despite showing the symptoms,” said Dr Manjula Anagani, clinical director, women and child institute, Care Hospitals.
Dr Manjula said vaccine is a must for all girls in the 9-13 age group and women up to 45 years should take it if they have missed it. Cervical cancer is usually detected in the mid-40s and 50s but can also affect young women. “It affects productive years. We see at least 10 cases of advanced cervical cancers each month and all of the women have never undergone a pap smear test before. This test can save at least 50% of the deaths caused by cervical cancer,” said Dr N Geetha Nagasree, consultant oncologist.