Andhra govt. to launch cancer screening for all above 18

Andhra Pradesh government to launch State-wide cancer screening drive for early detection and prevention, targeting breast, oral, and cervical cancers.

The Andhra Pradesh government will soon launch a State-wide cancer screening drive for all above 18 to reduce cancer-related morbidity and mortality, Minister for Health, Medical and Medical Education Y. Satya Kumar Yadav said.

Addressing media persons at the Secretariat on November 7, observed in the country as Cancer Awareness Day, the Minister, quoting a report of the Global Cancer Observatory, said that India reported 14 lakh cancer cases and 9 lakh cancer-related deaths in 2022 . In Andhra Pradesh, there were 73,536 cases in 2022 and cancer-related deaths stood at 40,307, the Minister added.

“These numbers are concerning, especially when the three highly-prevalent cancers in the country, breast, oral and cervical cancer, are preventable and treatable,” the Minister noted, laying emphasis on early detection, treatment and awareness among the public.

Therefore, the government will launch a State-wide drive, as part of which screening would be done for breast, oral and cervical cancers, he said, adding that two crore women in the State, aged above 18, would be screened for breast cancer. Screening for cervical cancer would be done for women aged above 30 and there are approximately 1.63 crore women in this category and 3.94 crore population of men and women aged above 18 would be screened for oral cancer.

He said around 18,000 medical staff, including ANMs, medical officers, doctors and specialists, would participate in the drive, expected to go on for 6-9 months. All of them have been given training for the purpose, the Minister said.

The three-level screening include door-to-door visits by ASHAs and ANMs, who will spread awareness among the public about the three cancers and conduct initial screening for breast and oral cancers. They will also motivate women to go for cervical cancer screening, to be done by a medical officer at village health clinics (VHCs).

Those having the symptoms would be sent to VHCs for further examination by a medical officer. The medical officer will then refer a few, who they think need more tests, to medical colleges, where a green channel would be created for the referred individuals.