UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

Methods: Women aged 30-59 years in 113 clusters in Dindigul District, south India were randomized to VIA screening by nurses (57 clusters, 48,225 eligible women) and to a control group (56 clusters, 30,167 women). The compliance to screening invitation was 30,577 (63.4%) between May 2000 and April 2. The data on invasive cervical cancers and cervical cancer deaths occurring in the intervention and control areas and their linkage with the screening database are being facilitated by the Dindigul Ambilikkai Cancer Registry and the mortality registers.

Results: A higher compliance was forthcoming among younger, educated, married, multiparous, low-income women than others. Of the 2069 women diagnosed with CIN and invasive cancer, 1498 (72.4%) received treatment. The detection rates of lesions per 1,000 screened women were 58.2 for CIN 1, 7.3 for CIN 2-3, and 2.3 for invasive cancer. The interim results in terms of negative predictive value of VIA screening and cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates by intervention and control areas will be presented. Thus the preliminary observations clearly points out to the feasibility of VIA-based screening program in a rural setting that also results in early detection of cervical neoplasia.