In a pathbreaking development in the preventive detection and medication of cervical cancer, DNA Wellness India Private Limited, a leading player in advanced DNA profiling technologies, has acquired exclusive rights to carry out the DNA Ploidy Test for the early detection of the second most prevalent cancer type among women in India.
The groundbreaking diagnostic tool named CERViSure has been developed by the British Columbia Cancer Research Agency, Canada. As per the claims made by the company, CERViSure, priced at Rs 5,500 per test, is a quick, accurate, non-invasive method with 100% specificity and 98% sensitivity. The test can help detect the cancerous cells about two years before the conventional methods providing opportunities to employ preventive measures.
Alongside the launch of India’s first CERViSure laboratory in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, Pathik Bhandari, Co-founder, DNA Wellness, said, “Cervical cancer is the second most prevalent cancer after breast cancer among women. India is adding around 1,25,000 cervical cancer cases per year while this cancer is also causing around 80,000 deaths annually. India accounts for 35% of the total burden of cervical cancer across the world and I believe that the DNA Ploidy Test is the first step towards the realization of our dream of cervical cancer free India.”
He said, “DNA Wellness is planning to invest Rs 200 crore to establish some 100 dedicated CERViSure laboratories across India in a phased manner by 2027. We are planning to open the first five labs (Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, Surat and Mumbai) before Diwali and another five by the end of the financial year.”
“The test is done by collecting a mucosal sample from the cervix using a specially designed non-invasive brush. The sample is analyzed with AI-backed software against a database of over 50 million patient samples. A single test takes around 72 hours to be completed and each laboratory will have a capacity to analyze around 200 samples per day. Furthermore we are envisioning to develop a capacity of conducting around 2.5 million tests annually by the year 2030”, added Bhandari.
It should be mentioned that the 5-year relative survival rate for cervical cancer in India is 46%, but this varies depending on the stage of diagnosis. As per the studies, the presence of specific 14 stains out of 180 plus stains of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) indicate high risks of having cervical cancer.
Dr Anjana Chauhan, Gynec Oncologist with an experience of over 25 years, said, “Considering the ripple effect and a total cost of around Rs 20 lakh per cancer patient (direct and indirect costs over a period of 10 years) for a family, this test is affordable and has a scope for preventive measures. In India HPV infection is very common for women aged between 20 years and 60 years. HPV is spread through physical touch and using amenities and around 10% of the total infection cases lead to cancer as the virus starts acting as a body part and causes no antibody reactions or symptoms of the infection.”
“Apart from that only around 1% of Indian women in the vulnerable age group are going through the screening while this number is around 90% in the western countries like the USA and the UK. As per the studies on HPV, every woman should go through screening every two or three years which is much more economical than the cost of treatment. Furthermore, we need to spread awareness among the common people, specially among women of this age group, so that preventive measures can be taken against these 80,000 annual cervical cancer deaths and the new additions, ” he said.
