Understanding cervical cancer risk requires moving beyond simplistic age assumptions. Prevention must follow a life course approach. Vaccination in adolescence, attention to hygiene and sexual health in early adulthood, and regular screening from the recommended ages, together offer the strongest defence
In the women’s health scenario in India, cervical cancer positions itself as one of the most significant health challenges: the country accounts fornearly one-third of global cervical cancer deaths and reports over 1.22 lakh new cases every year. Epidemiological evidence shows that one woman in India dies of cervical cancer every few minutes, underscoring the scale of the problem.
Cancer is an outcome of the interaction between genetic predisposition, agent, and environmental factors. Cervical cancer is one of the few cancers that can easily be prevented through vaccination, and, if diagnosed early, it is very treatable. Despite this, people continue to perceive cervical cancer as a concern specific only to elderly women. This, however, is not the reality of this disease. Understanding how prevention efforts for cervical cancer can vary depending on a woman’s age and how these efforts can be utilised throughout a woman’s life, is crucial.