India's National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, CVD and Stroke (NPCDCS) targets cancers for opportunistic screening at health and wellness centres. For cervical cancer, the current recommended primary screening method in low-resource Indian settings under NPCDCS is:

• A Conventional Pap smear every 3 years for women aged 30–65
• B HPV DNA testing every 5 years for women aged 25–65
• C Colposcopy as the primary screening method at PHC level
• D Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) followed by immediate cryotherapy if positive ✓

Explanation

NPCDCS and the National Cancer Grid recommend Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) as the primary cervical cancer screening method for India's low-resource public health system. VIA is immediately interpretable at the point of care without laboratory infrastructure. The 'screen-and-treat' approach pairs VIA with immediate cryotherapy for VIA-positive lesions (avoiding loss to follow-up). WHO and Indian guidelines recognise HPV DNA testing as superior but infrastructure requirements currently limit its universal deployment; NVHCP is gradually transitioning. Pap smear requires cytopathology laboratories.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.