Developing a model for cancer screening in Udaipur, India

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and partners have published the results of a pilot study for a screening project taking place in Udaipur district, India, to develop a model that can be used to screen people for common cancers and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in settings where access to health services is limited.

Breast cancer, oral cancer, and cervical cancer are the most common cancers in India, and IARC estimates that in 2018 in India more than 375 000 people were diagnosed with and almost 220 000 people died from one of these cancers.

The pilot study, conducted in the Gogunda rural block of Rajasthan, assessed the feasibility and efficacy of a model in which trained community health workers visit people in their homes to screen them for common diseases and educate them about NCDs including diabetes, hypertension, breast cancer, oral cancer, and cervical cancer.

The screening project supports Indian government policy, which seeks to screen both men and women between the ages of 30 and 60 years for common NCDs.

Watch the video explaining the project
Read the article in BMC Public Health