Lok Sabha Question No. 2145 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-12-10
Subject: Cervical Cancer
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: D. Ravikumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2145 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10 th  DECEMBER, 2021

## CERVICAL CANCER

## 2145.    SHRI RAVIKUMAR D.:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware of addition of about one lakh new cervical cancer cases and nearly 60,000 deaths every year;
- (b) if so, the details of such cases reported and deaths that occurred during the period 2015 to
- 2020; (c)  whether  the  Government  has  noted  that  the  Human  Papiloma  Virus  (HPV)  vaccine  is reducing almost 90 percent cervical cancer cases; (d) if so, the details thereof and the action taken by the Government to include HPV vaccine in the Universal Immunization Program; and (e) whether the Government has taken any steps to make smear test compulsory for all school
- going girls of our country and if so, the details thereof and if not the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

(DR. BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR)

(a)  and (b):  As per Indian Council of Medical Research's (ICMR) cancer registry data on "National Cancer Registry Program, 2020", the estimated number of incidence and mortality of cervical cancer cases in the country during 2015 to 2020 is given below.

| Estimated cancer cases in India (2015-2020) - Cervical Cancer   |   Estimated cancer cases in India (2015-2020) - Cervical Cancer |   Estimated cancer cases in India (2015-2020) - Cervical Cancer |   Estimated cancer cases in India (2015-2020) - Cervical Cancer |   Estimated cancer cases in India (2015-2020) - Cervical Cancer |   Estimated cancer cases in India (2015-2020) - Cervical Cancer |   Estimated cancer cases in India (2015-2020) - Cervical Cancer |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| Year                                                            |                                                            2015 |                                                            2016 |                                                            2017 |                                                            2018 |                                                            2019 |                                                            2020 |
| Estimated Incidence of cancer Cases                             |                                                           65978 |                                                           67756 |                                                           69567 |                                                           71415 |                                                           73289 |                                                           75209 |
| Estimated Mortality of cancer Cases                             |                                                           29029 |                                                           29813 |                                                           30609 |                                                           31425 |                                                           32246 |                                                           33095 |

- (c) and (d): A study by Falcaro et al., 2021 is published in the Lancet, which showed that the Human  Papilloma  Virus  (HPV)  vaccine  decreases  cervical  cancer  cases  by  nearly  90%. National  Technical  Advisory  Group  on  Immunization  (NTAGI)  is  India's  apex  technical advisory body, has recommended 'the inclusion of specific HPV vaccines in the programme subject  to  the  outcome  of  the  pending  Supreme  Court  judgement'.  The  court  case  is  still pending in the Hon'ble Supreme Court.
- (e)    Health  is  a  state  subject.  A  population-based  initiative  for  prevention,  control  and screening for common Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) i.e. diabetes, hypertension and common  cancers  has  been  rolled  out  in  the  country  under  NHM  and  also  as  a  part  of Comprehensive Primary Health Care. Under the initiative, persons more than 30 years of age are  targeted  for  their  screening  for  the  three  common  cancers  i.e  oral,  breast  and  cervical. Screening of these common cancers is an integral part of service delivery under Ayushman Bharat - Health and Wellness Centres. Under NPCDCS, visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) is used as screening tool for cervical cancer.