All you need to know about cervical cancer

For the uninitiated, when cancer starts in the cervix, it is called cervical cancer. All women are at risk for cervical cancer. It occurs most often in women over age 30.

Hyderabad: India’s first indigenously developed quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for the prevention of cervical cancer will be launched in a few months and made available to people in the affordable price range of Rs 200 to 400.

For the uninitiated, when cancer starts in the cervix, it is called cervical cancer. All women are at risk for cervical cancer. It occurs most often in women over age 30.

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Almost all cervical cancer cases are linked to certain strains of human papillomavirus, a very common virus that is transmitted through sexual contact.

While the body’s immune system usually gets rid of the infection naturally within two years, in a few people the virus can linger over time and turn some normal cells into abnormal cells and then cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

When cervical cancer is found early, it is treatable and associated with long survival.

In 2018, an estimated 57,000 women were diagnosed with the disease and it accounted for 311,000 deaths across the world. India accounts for about a fifth of the global burden of cervical cancer, with 1.23 lakh cases and around 67,000 deaths per year.

HPV vaccine

The HPV vaccine protects against the types of HPV that most often cause cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancers. It is given in two doses and data has shown that the antibodies that develop after both are administered can last up to six or seven years.