Primary Prevention in Cervical Cancer-Current Status and Way Forward

The effect of cancer in women has varied effects. Overall malignancies of the breast, cervix, and ovary account for over 43% of all cancer cases in India. Globally, cervical cancer is fourth cancer in terms of incidence among women, following breast, lung, and colorectal cancer. However, this illness primarily affects women in India, where it is the second most frequent malignancy after breast cancer. HPV-related cervical cancer is a serious public health issue that has a solution. In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a global initiative to eliminate cervical cancer which set targets for three important strategies: HPV vaccination, cervical cancer screening, and treatment. The WHO's "Best Buys" recommendations for cancer sub-set place vaccination of females between the ages of 9 and 14 at the top of the list. In India, efforts are underway to increase the number of teenage girls receiving the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. The nation granted licenses for bivalent and quadrivalent HPV vaccinations in 2008, and in 2018, a nonavalent vaccine was approved. It is important to keep in mind that the cervical carcinoma vaccination is not a quick fix; thus, screening for the disease should continue. Any nation can potentially significantly lower the incidence of cervical cancer by carefully combining economical, high-coverage vaccinations with well-organized screening programs. Since 9-14 years is the ideal age range before sexual debut in today's world, this is the key vaccine age range. Estimates of vaccine effectiveness for younger adolescents, those between the ages of 9 and 14 years, varied from roughly 74 to 93%. Let us envision an India of the future where girls grow up with one fewer cancer threatening their life and a place where cervical cancer has been eradicated.