Cervical cancer mortality rates dip amid call for vax

Experts anticipate indigenous vaccine to help curb cases; health ministry yet to take a decision on rollout

- ANJALI SINGH

Cervical cancer cases have shown signs of a decline in mortality rates of late with growing awareness, even as India considers rolling out a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for girls aged between 9 and 14 years.

The mortality rate for cervical cancer the second most common cancer in women after breast cancer in India declined from 10.9 per 100,000 women in 1990 to 7.38 per 100,000 women in 2019, according to a study published in 2022 by the department of Community Medicine at Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Delhi.

The Global Burden of Disease 2019 study also indicated a 21 per cent decrease in cervical cancer incidence in India from 1990 to 2019, accompanied by a 32 per cent reduction in mortality.

Ajesh Raj Saksena, senior consultant surgical oncologist at Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad, explains that the mortality drop can be linked to increasing awareness, screening initiatives, and improvements in healthcare access for cervical cancer patients.