Context

Serum Institute of India plans to launch its indigenously-developed vaccine to prevent cervical cancer in women.

About

• The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) recently granted market authorisation to Serum Institute of India (SII) to manufacture the indigenously-developed India's first Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus vaccine (qHPV) against cervical cancer.

Cervical Cancer:

• Cervical cancer develops in a woman's cervix (the entrance to the uterus from the vagina).
• Almost all cervical cancer cases (99%) are linked to infection with high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV), an extremely common virus transmitted through sexual contact.
• Although most infections with HPV resolve spontaneously and cause no symptoms, persistent infection can cause cervical cancer in women.
• When diagnosed, cervical cancer is one of the most successfully treatable forms of cancer, as long as it is detected early and managed effectively.
• Cervical cancer in India ranks as the second most frequent cancer among women between 15 and 44 years of age.

Symptoms

Early-stage cervical cancer generally produces no signs or symptoms. Signs and symptoms of more-advanced cervical cancer include:

• Vaginal bleeding after intercourse, between periods or after menopause
• Watery, bloody vaginal discharge that may be heavy and have a foul odor
• Pelvic pain or pain during intercourse

Causes

• Cervical cancer begins when healthy cells in the cervix develop changes (mutations) in their DNA.
  • A cell's DNA contains the instructions that tell a cell what to do.
• Healthy cells grow and multiply at a set rate, eventually dying at a set time.
  • The mutations tell the cells to grow and multiply out of control, and they don't die. The accumulating abnormal cells form a mass (tumor).
  • Cancer cells invade nearby tissues and can break off from a tumor to spread (metastasize) elsewhere in the body.
• It isn't clear what causes cervical cancer, but it's certain that HPV plays a role.