title: Response to article titled "US-funded measurements of cervical cancer death rates in India: scientific and ethical concerns" by Eric J Suba.
abstract: Dr Eric Suba has been distorting facts and persistently disseminating biased and misleading views and statements regarding our studies over the past several years. His article in the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics fails to mention the facts that seem unfavourable to his arguments, and the ethical concerns are unsubstantiated by the evidence. In this context, we present the following clarifications for the attention of your readers, notably with regard to: (i) the study design and inclusion of a control group; (ii) the informed consent of the women participating in the study; (iii) the conformity with international ethical standards and guidelines, and (iv) the provision of screening to women in the control arm of the studies. We also highlight the benefits that are flowing from this research and the risk that misinformation may further delay access for women to life-saving cervical cancer screening.
authors.affiliation: Special Advisor on Cancer Control, Head, Section of Early Detection and Prevention, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon. e-mail:sankarr@iarc.fr.
authors.forename: Rengaswamy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sankaranarayanan
authors.affiliation: Director, Nargis Dutt Memorial Cancer Hospital, Barshi, Solapur, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Bhagwan M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Nene
authors.affiliation: Professor and Head of Preventive Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Surendra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shastri
authors.affiliation: Consultant Radiation Oncologist, Christian Fellowship Community Health Center, Ambilikkai, Dindigul District, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Pullikotil Ekkuru
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Esmy
authors.affiliation: Professor, Community Medicine, Meenakshi Medical College and Research Institute, Enathur, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Rajamanickam
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rajkumar
authors.affiliation: Scientist, Screening Group, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Muwonge
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor and Head, Department of Biostatistics and Cancer Registry, Cancer Institute, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Rajaraman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Swaminathan
authors.affiliation: Consultant Cytologist, Nargis Dutt Memorial Cancer Hospital, Barshi, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Sylla G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Malvi
authors.affiliation: Professor and Head of Cytopathology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, India.
authors.forename: Shubada
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kane
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, India.
authors.forename: Sangeeta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Desai
authors.affiliation: Professor and Head of Microbiology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, India.
authors.forename: Rohini
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kelkar
authors.affiliation: Statistician, Nargis Dutt Memorial Cancer Hospital, Barshi, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Sanjay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hingmire
authors.affiliation: Consultant Epidemiologist, Nargis Dutt Memorial Cancer Hospital, Barshi, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Kasturi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jayant
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000191:economics*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control*