Abhishek Shankar: Annual Congress of Association of Radiation Oncologists of India

Abhishek Shankar, Assistant Professor, Radiation Oncology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“It was a quick trip to Patna for a lecture in Annual Congress of Association of Radiation Oncologists of India– Bihar Chapter on 15th September 2024, organised by Mahavir Cancer Sansthan (MCS), Patna.

I spoke on very important but often ignored topic ‘ How to Eliminate Cervical Cancer in India’. After the WHO announcement to eliminate cervical cancer by achieving set goals in terms of vaccination, screening and treatment to restrict incidence rate of cervical cancer below 4/100,000 women.

Cervical cancer is preventable and curable, as long as it is detected early and managed effectively. Yet it is the 4th most common form of cancer among women worldwide, with the disease claiming the lives of almost 350 000 women in 2022.

Achieving that goal rests on three key pillars and their corresponding targets:

1. Vaccination: 90% of girls fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by the age of 15

2. Screening: 70% of women screened using a high-performance test by the age of 35, and again by the age of 45

3. Treatment : 90% of women with pre-cancer treated and 90% of women with invasive cancer managed.

India should meet the 90–70–90 targets by 2030 to get on the path to eliminate cervical cancer within the next century but we have a long way to go.

Congratulations MCS for an excellent scientific deliberation and a successful conference. Let’s work together to achieve these goals.”

Source: Abhishek Shankar/LinkedIn