SPECIAL FEATURE
May-2026 1 Expression
Cervical cancer is preventable
Why every family should know about HPV vaccination
ShareCervical cancer (cancer that begins at the mouth of the uterus, i.e., the cervix) is the second most common cancer among Indian women, after breast cancer.
In India, nearly 1.25 lakh new cases of cervical cancer are reported annually, and annual death rates exceed 75,000.
Unfortunately, cervical cancer produces no symptoms in its early stages. When symptoms appear, the disease may already have advanced, which is the reason for the many deaths.
Common symptoms include vaginal bleeding, heavy vaginal discharge, pain during intercourse, and bleeding after intercourse.
Almost all cervical cancers are related to past infection with the human Papillomavirus (HPV), often acquired many years, or even decades, earlier. Because of this long interval between HPV infection and the eventual development of cancer, the connection was not immediately identified until scientists started analyzing the epidemiological data.
Once the link was established, it opened the door to a major cancer prevention strategy: to prevent HPV infection through vaccination, thereby reducing the risk of cervical cancer itself.
This led to the development of a vaccine to prevent the HPV infection. Vaccination is far safer and more economical than treating cancer after it develops.
What causes HPV infection? HPV is a virus transmitted through sexual contact. Therefore, HPV infection, and hence cervical cancer, is associated with sexually active women. Men can also become infected, although women are far more prone to infection, as the sexual secretions remain stagnant in contact with cervical tissue deep in the vagina for prolonged periods of time after sexual intercourse. When men do get infected, they can develop cancer of the penis.
Because of odd sexual behaviors of people, HPV is also associated with cancers of the throat, anus, and other areas.
Although cancer is the most serious disease caused by HPV infection, it can also cause less severe conditions, such as warts (small rough bumps) in the genital area in both males and females. Warts may appear within months of HPV infection, whereas cancers usually take years to decades to develop.
A question often asked is why the body’s own defense mechanisms allow the virus to remain within it for decades rather than eliminating it promptly. HPV can enter the cells of the cervix and remain there quietly without causing immediate damage, making it less detectable by the immune system. The defense mechanisms fail to realize that a dangerous fellow is residing there.
Once inside the cells, it is difficult for the body to eliminate the virus without damaging the infected cells themselves. Hence, the best way to prevent the virus from entering the cell is for people to have their defense mechanisms ready before the age at which they start their sexual life. This is why vaccination is recommended before the onset of sexual activity.
The current recommended age for HPV vaccination is 9–14 years, with two doses given six months apart. Beyond age 14, three doses are generally recommended, according to current guidelines.
Another common question is whether vaccination prevents cervical cancer in 100% of vaccinated individuals. The answer is no. However, current vaccines provide protection against the HPV types responsible for most cervical cancers. Thus, even vaccinated women should continue regular gynecological screening, including Pap smear tests and other recommended co-testing methods.
Conclusion
HPV vaccination is a safe, effective, and powerful cancer-preventing intervention. Administering the vaccine during childhood and adolescence can significantly reduce the future burden of cervical cancer and other HPV-related cancers.
[Dr. A. Santhosh Kumar is a Senior Consultant at the Department of Pediatrics, KIMSHEALTH, Trivandrum.]
TAG:
Related Article
The new face of health anxiety
A clinician examines how tools like ChatGPT are reshaping patient behavior, for better and worse
Read MoreStress and the human body
Short-term stress sharpens the body’s responses, but when it lingers, it becomes a silent disruptor across multiple body systems
Read MoreNew frontiers of burn surgery
How advances in burn surgery have transformed lives through the ages
Read More5 unusual signs of digestive disorders
Some gastrointestinal conditions show up in subtle or unusual ways
Read MoreUnderstanding pediatric OCD
Pediatric OCD is one of childhood’s most overlooked mental health challenges. Early intervention is the key to reclaiming a child’s future.
Read MoreBefore lab tests there was this chart
In an age before microscopes, blood tests, or chemical assays, physicians turned to the body’s most accessible mirror: urine. This 16th-century circular uroscopy chart, reproduced from Ulrich Pinder’s Epiphanie medicorum (1506), captures the visual logic that guided medical practice for centuries. Arranged like a chromatic wheel, each flask represents a distinct shade — from pale straw to deep amber, from cloudy white to ominous black — each believed to correspond to a specific imbalance or illness within the body.
Read MoreWealth management for doctors
A guide to structuring investments around the unique financial realities of a medical career
Read MoreAngel without wings
Faith does not always begin in temples. Sometimes it is born in hospital corridors
Read MoreFocus on flavor: the eye-health menu
Feeding your vision with the nutrients your eyes truly need
Read MoreAI in rural emergency care
Imagine a rural emergency room at 2 a.m. A 50-year-old farmer arrives with chest pain. The nearest cardiologist is 200 kilometers away, and the lone doctor on duty is managing multiple critical cases. What if an AI system could instantly analyze the ECG, interpret lab results, and guide evidence-based treatment — potentially saving a life before the golden hour expires?
Read MoreGarrod and the story of gout
Gout has been around for thousands of years, but our understanding of it changed in 1848 after a simple experiment. That year, an English doctor named Alfred Baring Garrod made an observation that seemed almost accidental, but it changed how people thought about gout. While treating patients with sudden, severe joint pain, Garrod suspected the cause was not temperament or lifestyle, as doctors had believed for centuries, but something in the blood.
Read MoreGetting the billing right
Digital systems are redefining hospital efficiency by improving billing accuracy, insurance handling, and patient confidence
Read MoreThe thank you that never comes
For doctors and other staff in the emergency department, the simplest acknowledgment is often the one that never arrives
Read MoreTurning tumors against themselves
Scientists are developing a cancer treatment that teaches tumors to reveal themselves to the immune system.
Read MoreA contact lens that acts like a mini pharmacy
A new smart contact lens may change glaucoma monitoring and treatment. Glaucoma progresses silently, and eye pressure is often checked only during clinic visits, missing important spikes.
Read MoreA single pill for many common viruses
A single antiviral pill that could treat several common infections—including colds, flu, COVID 19, RSV, and norovirus—is showing early promise. Using artificial intelligence, researchers identified an older cancer drug, ERA 923, as a surprising candidate.
Read MoreFructose identified as a key driver of metabolic disease
A new report in Nature Metabolism highlights fructose as a major but often overlooked contributor to obesity and metabolic disease.
Read MoreA tiny new molecule offers hope for cystic fibrosis
Scientists in Berlin have created a tiny molecule that may one day help repair the root cause of cystic fibrosis (CF), one of the most common fatal hereditary diseases worldwide.
Read MoreThe air around us is full of hidden DNA
Scientists are discovering that the air we breathe carries tiny traces of DNA and RNA from the living world around us.
Read MoreAre ancient grains healthier
Ancient grains like quinoa, spelt and emmer are often marketed as healthier choices, but nutrition experts say the picture is more nuanced.
Read MoreHow the immune system may help drive mental illness
Scientists are uncovering surprising links between the immune system and mental health. Autoimmune conditions occur when the body’s defense system, which normally fights infections, mistakenly attacks the body’s own tissues.
Read MoreSimple ways to reduce microplastics in your home air
Microplastics — tiny particles shed from everyday items — are increasingly being found in indoor air, raising questions about what people may be breathing at home.
Read MoreWhen antibiotics fail
The chart shows how many people died from major infectious disease syndromes in 2021, and how many of those deaths happened because the infection did not respond to antibiotics.
Read More