IMPROVED STAGE AT DIAGNOSIS OF CERVICAL-CANCER WITH INCREASED CANCER AWARENESS IN A RURAL INDIAN POPULATION

As part of its strategy to identify cancer cases in a rural population , the cancer registry of Barshi, India, has developed a methodology wh ich includes education of the population about likely symptoms of canc er, and motivation of symptomatic individuals to undergo medical inves tigation. Patients with cervical cancer from the registry area who att ended Barshi Cancer Hospital (84% of the total) showed a significant i mprovement in stage at diagnosis between 1988-1989 (38% in stages I an d II) and 1990-1992 (51% in stages I and II). No change was observed i n those attending the same hospital from a control area (38% vs. 34%). Among a random sample of the population of the registry area, 76% of women were aware of the symptoms of cervical cancer, compared with 25% of the population of control areas. It is suggested that action to ra ise awareness of symptoms of cancer, and to encourage medical consulta tion, should form an important initial component of cervical-cancer co ntrol programmes. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.