Inclusion of HPV Testing for Cervical Cancer Screening Under Programmatic Settings in India: Pros and Cons

Cervical cancer, a persistent global health challenge, particularly affects women in low- and middle-income countries, with India witnessing a significant burden. It was the fourth leading cause of cancer and cancer deaths in women in 2020 globally. High-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) types are major contributors to cervical cancer cases with almost 99% of cervical cancer cases being caused by them. Cervical cancer is the only HPV-caused cancer for which screening tests are available. The integration of HPV testing into cervical cancer screening programs emerges as a transformative advancement, supported by robust scientific evidence.

A narrative review navigating the feasibility of incorporating HPV testing for cervical cancer screening in the Indian programmatic settings, exploring advantages such as enhanced accuracy, longer screening intervals, versatility, and cost-effectiveness and potential shortcomings and limitations was performed.

Despite upfront costs and delayed results of HPV testing, the benefits in terms of screening efficacy and mortality reduction emphasizes careful consideration of the test for screening cervical cancer in routine programmatic settings.