Mumbai briefs: Low awareness, stigma delay cervical cancer detection
At a panel discussion hosted by Tata Trusts on Wednesday, experts pointed to the twin barriers of poor awareness and social stigma as key contributors to this continuing crisis.
'Cervical cancer is still the second most common cancer among women in India, accounting for 22.8% of all cancer cases,' said Dr. Gauravi Mishra, Deputy Director at the Centre for Cancer Epidemiology, Tata Memorial Centre.
'What's frustrating is that it's preventable and treatable when detected early. But we still see women coming in very late.'
Vandana Gupta, cancer survivor and founder of V Care Foundation, highlighted how deeply stigma is rooted—even among the educated.
The event, part of the launch of the Khud Se Jeet awareness campaign by Tata Trusts, included a screening of the campaign film and a discussion moderated by Dr Rudradatta Shrotriya, Head of Medical Operations at Tata Cancer Care Foundation. ENS
Mumbai: Western Railway has installed updated train indicators at seven suburban stations as part of its infrastructure upgrade under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS).
The new systems have been introduced at Marine Lines, Charni Road, Grant Road, Lower Parel, Prabhadevi, Jogeshwari, and Malad stations.
According to a press release issued by the Public Relations Department of Western Railway, the indicators feature a matrix-style digital display and a scrolling information bar that shows the names of stations where the train will halt. The system supports multilingual display to accommodate the city's diverse commuter base.
The indicators are connected via an Ethernet-based network, which, railway officials said, allows for remote monitoring, software customisation, and faster troubleshooting in case of technical issues. ENS
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Hans India
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Tata Trusts' Public Health Awareness Campaign Highlights Reasons for Cervical Cancer Detection Delays, Promoting Early Screening
Sometimes, one of the hardest battles a woman fights is the one with herself – the doubt, silence, and hesitation to put herself first. Tata Trusts' public health awareness campaign, 'Khud Se Jeet,' captures this quiet conflict, urging women to seek timely cervical cancer screening and take charge of their health. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Indian women, claiming nearly 75,000 lives each year—often due to late detection. Despite being highly treatable in its early stages, with 95% of cases successfully managed if caught early, many women do not get screened in time. Millions of women continue overlooking symptoms – either due to a significant lack of awareness about cervical cancer and its symptoms, or fear, stigma, and a culture of silence that contributes to delayed screening. Tata Trusts' years of grassroots engagement – including by conducting over 26,000 cervical cancer screenings across Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Maharashtra in the last year, in collaboration with state governments and partners – has uncovered deep insights, revealing emotional and societal barriers that keep women from seeking help, even when it's available. Through its public health awareness initiatives, the Trusts aims to prompt women to replace hesitation with action. To spearhead awareness, Tata Trusts hosted a panel discussion, bringing together leading experts from oncology, psycho-oncology, and patient support to illustrate the problem, barriers to screening, key steps, and explore how we can change the conversation on cervical cancer in India. The session featured Dr Gauravi Mishra, Deputy Director, Center for Cancer Epidemiology, Tata Memorial Centre; Dr. Savita Goswami, Psycho-Oncologist at Tata Memorial Hospital; and Vandana Gupta, cancer survivor and founder of V Care Foundation. The session was moderated by Dr Rudradatta Shrotriya, Head Medical Operations, Tata Cancer Care Foundation, who commented, 'Cervical cancer's projected burden in India stands at 1.5 million Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), with the highest impact among women aged 30–65 in segments with the lowest awareness and access. The key challenges remain low awareness and inhibition: women who experience early symptoms do not connect them to cervical cancer, and those who do may delay action due to shame or fear. Many also are unaware that risk can exist even in the absence of symptoms, which makes screening vital. By raising awareness and taking steps to change the conversation around cervical cancer, we hope to foster a culture where women feel empowered to prioritize their health.' Tata Trusts also unveiled a social awareness film, highlighting a woman's inner conflict and journey through self-doubt, denial, and hesitation to a moment of transformation, where she chooses to pay attention to her symptoms and seek screening. By amplifying such narratives, the Trusts' aim to inspire more women to listen to their bodies and prioritize their health. Discussing this, Shilpi Ghosh, Communications Specialist, Tata Trusts, said, 'Khud Se Jeet was born from listening to women — their silence, their fears, their hesitation. Cervical cancer isn't just a medical issue; it's an emotional one, hidden in whispers and what-ifs. We realized that lack of access isn't the only hurdle; there is also the doubt that tells a woman not to act, speak, or put herself first. This campaign is our attempt to give her that nudge, to say: you matter, your health matters. Through every frame, every word, and every touchpoint, we want her to know that winning this battle within could mean gaining the life she deserves.'
Time of India
11-07-2025
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Fight against cervical cancer: Women need to go in for regular and timely screening, say experts
Mumbai: With cervical cancer claiming nearly 75,000 lives each year, there is a need for women to take charge of their health by overcoming hurdles like doubts, silence and hesitation and go for regular and timely screening, experts said on Thursday. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Indian women, claiming nearly 75,000 lives each year, often due to late detection. Despite being highly treatable in its early stages, with 95 per cent of cases successfully managed if detected early, many women do not get screened in time, Tata Memorial Centre Deputy Director, Center for Cancer Epidemiology, Dr Gauravi Mishra told reporters at an event organised by Tata Trusts. "Millions of women continue overlooking symptoms - either due to a significant lack of awareness about cervical cancer and its symptoms, or fear, stigma, and a culture of silence that contributes to delayed screening. These women are not just from rural area, many of them are youngsters, educated and from urban areas," she added. This check-up needs to be undertaken despite having no symptoms at all, starting from the age of 30 and continuing at regular intervals, she added. TMC Psycho-Oncologist Dr Savita Goswami said usually women hesitate to go for check-ups due to fear of being associated with cancer. "They don't like to go for check-ups because of the fear of having something (cancer). It could be any cancer, like breast cancer or cervical cancer. They don't want to be associated with any of the cancers," she added. Tata Trusts' have conducted over 26,000 cervical cancer screenings across Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Maharashtra in the last year in collaboration with state governments and partners uncovering insights into major emotional and societal barriers that keep women from seeking help, even when it is available. "Cervical cancer's projected burden in India stands at 1.5 million Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), with the highest impact among women aged 30-65 years in segments with the lowest awareness and access. The key challenges remain low awareness and inhibition - women who experience early symptoms do not connect them to cervical cancer, and those who do may delay action due to shame or fear," Tata Cancer Care Foundation Head Medical Operations Dr Rudradatta Shrotriya said. He further stated many women are also unaware about the fact that risk can exist even without the absence of symptoms, which makes screening vital. "By raising awareness and taking steps to change the conversation around cervical cancer, we hope to foster a culture where women feel empowered to prioritize their health," he added. In this regard, Tata Trusts' launched a public health awareness campaign, 'Khud Se Jeet,' which captures the quiet conflict, urging women to seek timely cervical cancer screening and take charge of their health.
Indian Express
10-07-2025
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Mumbai briefs: Low awareness, stigma delay cervical cancer detection
Despite being one of the few preventable cancers with a reliable screening method, cervical cancer continues to be detected at advanced stages in India, experts said. At a panel discussion hosted by Tata Trusts on Wednesday, experts pointed to the twin barriers of poor awareness and social stigma as key contributors to this continuing crisis. 'Cervical cancer is still the second most common cancer among women in India, accounting for 22.8% of all cancer cases,' said Dr. Gauravi Mishra, Deputy Director at the Centre for Cancer Epidemiology, Tata Memorial Centre. 'What's frustrating is that it's preventable and treatable when detected early. But we still see women coming in very late.' Vandana Gupta, cancer survivor and founder of V Care Foundation, highlighted how deeply stigma is rooted—even among the educated. The event, part of the launch of the Khud Se Jeet awareness campaign by Tata Trusts, included a screening of the campaign film and a discussion moderated by Dr Rudradatta Shrotriya, Head of Medical Operations at Tata Cancer Care Foundation. ENS Mumbai: Western Railway has installed updated train indicators at seven suburban stations as part of its infrastructure upgrade under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS). The new systems have been introduced at Marine Lines, Charni Road, Grant Road, Lower Parel, Prabhadevi, Jogeshwari, and Malad stations. According to a press release issued by the Public Relations Department of Western Railway, the indicators feature a matrix-style digital display and a scrolling information bar that shows the names of stations where the train will halt. The system supports multilingual display to accommodate the city's diverse commuter base. The indicators are connected via an Ethernet-based network, which, railway officials said, allows for remote monitoring, software customisation, and faster troubleshooting in case of technical issues. ENS
