Over 5 lakh women underwent cancer screening in first month of govt campaign, 85 cases detected: Kerala Health Minister

Kerala Health Department's Ayogyam, Anandam campaign screens over 5 lakh for cancer, focusing on early detection and treatment.

Over five lakh persons underwent cancer screening in the first month of the year-long cancer screening and detection campaign, called Ayogyam, Anandam – Keep Cancers Away, organised by the Kerala Health department, Health Minister Veena George told the State Assembly on Monday (March 3).

Replying to questions, she said that out of these five lakh persons, 26,000 were sent to further diagnostic checks on suspicion of cancer, while it was confirmed in 85 persons.

In the first month of the campaign, which began on World Cancer Day on February 4 2025, the focus has been on testing women for chances of breast and cervical cancer. Till March 3, a total of 5.9 lakh women were screened. As part of the campaign, a cancer grid has been established, providing the public information on the facilities for cancer treatment in every district. The preliminary screening will be done on Family Health Centres or Primary Health Centres, from where the suspected cases will be sent to the medical officer. After re-confirmation, the cases will be referred to surgeons at the taluk or district hospitals, where mammography of core needle biopsy is done for final confirmation.

“Majority of the cancer cases are getting detected in the third or fourth stage, when the treatment becomes complicated and expensive. The chances of survival also are low. We found through a population survey that 9 lakh people have chances of cancer incidence, but only 1.5 lakh are reaching screening centres. The campaign was launched in this context to carry out tests in a healthy population of above 30 years of age to identify those who might have cancer without displaying any symptoms,” said Ms. George.

Along with government hospitals, local bodies, private hospitals, voluntary organisations, women’s organisations, Kudumbashree and residents’ associations have also been made part of the campaign.

As part of a decentralised approach to cancer treatment, cancer care facilities have been set up in 25 hospitals across all the districts.