Cervical cancer screening in India: strategies revisited.
With the change in the life styles and demographic profiles of developing countries, noncommunicable diseases are emerging to be important health problems that demand appropriate control program before they assume epidemic proportion. One of these is the problem of cancer. In India, cervical cancer is a significant problem in terms of incidence, mortality and morbidity. Cervical cancer is a disease that can be prevented through both primary prevention and early detection using screening techniques. Several screening modalities are now available for early detection of cervical cancer and its precursor lesions. They all differ with regard to their test characteristics, feasibility and economic considerations. This communication reviews different aspects of these screening modalities and provides different options considering mass application.
Juneja
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National Institute of Medical Statistics (ICMR), Ansari Nagar, New Delhi, India. atul_juneja@hotmail.com
Sehgal
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Sharma
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Pandey
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D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008403:Mass Screening; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D016730:Program Development; D040241:Social Marketing; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control; D014626:Vaginal Smears