Status and Determinants of Early Detection of Oral Premalignant and Malignant Lesions in India

It has been over four decades since the launch of the National Cancer Control Programme in India, yet the cancer screening rates for oral cancer remain unremarkable. Moreover, India is bracing a large burden of oral cancer with poor survival rates. An effective public health programme implementation relies on a multitude of factors related to cost-effective evidence-based interventions, the healthcare delivery system, public health human resource management, community behaviour, partnership with stakeholders, identifying opportunities and political commitment. In this context, we discuss the various challenges in the early detection of oral premalignant and malignant lesions and potential solutions.

Cervical cancer elimination in indian context: Moving from barriers to facilitators

It has been 46 years since the launch of cancer control programs in India and yet the recent National Family Health Survey (fifth round, 2019-2021) has reported that just 1.9% of women aged 30-49 years have ever undergone cervical cancer screening. The cost of delayed diagnosis of cervical cancer and its treatment is overwhelming, and the rural population takes the worst hit. It is the need of the hour that the Indian health system and policymakers identify the barriers and facilitators for cervical cancer early detection and provide pragmatic solutions so that the targets of cervical cancer elimination can be achieved in a timely manner.