Cervical, breast cancer affects 3 out of 5 female patients in Kol
Times of India | 29 May 2024
Kolkata: Around 25% of women in Kolkata are at risk of contracting cervical cancer, up from 10% a decade ago, said oncologists and gynaecologists on International Day of Action for Women’s Health on Tuesday. Cervical and breast cancer patients together account for around 60% or three out of every five female cancer patients in Kolkata which could be the highest ever, they claimed.
Incidental data also suggest that the age of onset of cervical cancer has come down. “Since it is caused by the human pappiloma virus (HPV) which takes around 15 years to trigger the disease from the time of infection, the average age of onset would be around 45-60. Now, we often come across patients in their early 30s. While there is no clinical study to explain the drop in age, it could be either to the fact that women are getting sexually active early or the gestation period of the virus has shortened,” said head of radiation oncology at Medica Superspecialty Hospital Sayan Das.
Till recently, cervical cancer had been more prevalent in rural and semi-urban areas where hygiene is an issue. “With more and more younger women turning sexually active, a larger percentage of them are now at risk. This has been corroborated by a study which reveals that cervical cancer patients now comprise nearly 35% of all female cancer patients in Kolkata,” said oncologist Subir Ganguly, who has been analyzing the figures.
The disease sets in with abnormal changes in the cervical tissue. The risk of developing these abnormal changes has been associated with certain factors that includes infection from HPV, which might be contracted through early sexual contact, multiple sexual partners, smoking and oral contraceptives, among others.
City doctors say that even a decade ago, they were more concerned about breast cancer.
“I get one cervical cancer case every week while a decade ago it would be one in a month. In my current group of patients, three are in their early 30s, including two from Kolkata. While this suggests sexual activity at a young age since the virus is contracted through intercourse from male partners, awareness has increased. More are seeking the HPV vaccine for their daughters and it is also getting screened and detected more often,” said Das.
Abhirup Sarkar, director laboratory of Suraksha Diagnostics said, “Proactive vaccination can prevent more than 80% of cervical cancer cases, marking a significant stride in public health.”