Cervical cancer, one of the causes being championed by Stayfree DNA I Can Women’s Half Marathon, affects a lot of Indian women. At least 74,000 women in India die every year due to the disease.
Cervical cancer can be battled most effectively by creating widespread awareness, and the “Stayfree DNA I Can Women’s Half Marathon” aims at doing just that.
Every year 1,34,000 new cases of cervical cancer are added to an already heavy list of cases. The mortality rate for cervical cancer is also quite high.
The main cause of cervical cancer in India is the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which is a sexually transmitted one.
According to Dr Amita Maheshwari, associate professor of gynaecologic oncology at the Tata Memorial Hospital, 10% of the Indian population carries the HPV infection.
But there are many strains of HPV. And just having the infection does not guarantee cancer. “Less than 0.1% of HPV infections actually turn cancerous, however, because the incidence of HPV is so high the number of people who get cervical cancer from HPV is also high,” she says.
“The most virulent strains of HPV, types 16 and 18, are the ones that cause the cancer. Even then, it takes about 15-20 years of untreated HPV infection for the virus to turn cancerous. So if we take some basic steps, this cancer can be curtailed,” she adds.
It’s quite tragic that so many women die of cervical cancer in our country. The disease can be curtailed effectively through regular pap-smear tests.“The HPV infection can be detected very easily through a simple pap-smear test, which any gynaecologist can do. All that is needed is the spread of awareness. Cervical cancer too is quite responsive to treatment. If it is detected early then it can be eradicated completely,” says Dr Duru Shah, director of Gynaecworld.
The primary reason for the wide incidence of the disease, according to Dr Shah, is the lack of a proper screening programme. “We don’t have a proper screening programme like the ones in the Western countries. In the private sector, we ask almost every sexually active woman to take a pap smear. But in small towns and villages the awareness regarding the pap smear test is very low, therefore the incidence of cervical cancer is much higher there,” she says.
Dr Anita Soni, gynaecologist at Hiranandani hospital, says that vaccines like Gardasil and Cervarix are a good way of reducing the chances of HPV infection. Other measures to reduce the risk of contracting the HPV virus are good personal hygiene, avoidance of multiple pregnancies and the reduction of the number of sexual partners. “Since HPV is a sexually-transmitted virus, monogamous relationships would reduce the chances of contracting it. Protected sex also reduces the chance of contracting the virus. Also good hygiene in both males and females would help reduce the spread of HPV,” she says.
Through this test of endurance and stamina, the DNA is committed to putting the cause of cervical cancer firmly in the spotlight as are our partners. “The DNA I Can Women’s Half Marathon is a perfect platform for women to come out and support the causes that are close to their heart and Stayfree supports them in this endeavour,” says, Neeraj Goyal, General Marketing Manager, Johnson & Johnson Limited.
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