The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi has made a significant announcement about the commencement of a multicentre study focused on the development of low-cost human papillomavirus (HPV) tests for cervical cancer screening. This initiative, supported by DBT-BIRAC Grand Challenges India and in collaboration with the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), seeks to address the need for affordable screening methods due to the current high costs associated with HPV tests and the requirement for complex laboratory setups.
The validation studies for these new HPV tests will be carried out at three prominent institutions, namely AIIMS New Delhi, the National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR) in Noida, and the National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health (NIRRCH) in Mumbai. Neerja Bhatla, the chief coordinator for the program, emphasized the significance of introducing low-cost screening options for cervical cancer, noting the disease's prevalence as the second most common cancer among women in India after breast cancer, and the fourth globally.
Statistics from the Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN) reveal the alarming figures of cervical cancer cases worldwide, with a significant portion of the burden falling on low- and middle-income countries such as India. To combat this, the project targets the development and validation of affordable HPV tests that can detect prevalent cancer-causing HPV genotypes among the Indian population in a simplified and automated manner. This initiative not only seeks to meet international quality standards but also aims to benefit millions of women in India and other similar countries afflicted by cervical cancer, ultimately working towards the ambitious goal of eradicating the disease.