title: Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) Screening Program: 7 Years Experience in Early Detection of Cervical Cancer and Pre-Cancers in Rural South India.
abstract: Cervical cancer continues to be a major public health problem in India in the absence of wide spread organised cervical screening programs. Visual inspection of the cervix with acetic acid (VIA) is an effective, inexpensive screening test that can be combined with simple treatment procedures for early cervical lesions, provided by trained health workers. We report 7 years experience in early detection of cervical cancer and pre-cancers using the VIA test in a community-based program in rural Andhra Pradesh, India where there are no existing organised cervical screening programs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eligible women aged between 26 and 60 were opportunistically screened by trained health wor kers using the VIA test. Women who tested positive were further evaluated and those with cervical lesions were treated either by cryotherapy in the screening clinic or referred to a higher center.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 18,869 women were screened by a single round of VIA testing with a positive rate of 10.75%. Biopsy proven high-grade squamous intraepithelials (HSILs) were 90 (0.48%) and low-grade squamous intraepithelials (LSILs) were 43 (0.28%). The overall prevalence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2+ lesion rate is 1.05%. A total of 312 (1.65%) cryotherapies were done and 49 women underwent hysterectomy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  VIA by trained female health workers is a safe, acceptable, and effective test that can save lives from cervical cancer even in remote areas with few resources. These results have important implications for efficient service delivery in cervical screening programs in low-resourced settings.
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor of Gynaecological Oncology, Department of Gynaecological Oncology, Mehdi Nawaz Jung Institute of Oncology and Regional Cancer Centre, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
authors.forename: Usha Rani
authors.initials: UR
authors.lastname: Poli
authors.affiliation: Director, Institute for Rural Health Studies, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Bidinger
authors.affiliation: Chief Pathologist, Department of Pathology, Apollo Hospital, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
authors.forename: Swarnalata
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gowrishankar
keywords: Cervical cancer screening; cervical screening in low resource settings; early detection of cervical cancer; screen and treat; visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA)