February 23, Colombo (LNW): During a panel discussion organized by Roche Diagnostics in Colombo, Dr. Chithramalee de Silva, Director of Maternal and Child Health at the Family Health Bureau, highlighted the critical issue of cervical cancer as a major disease burden among women in Sri Lanka. Cervical cancer is currently one of the leading causes of both prevalence and mortality among women in the country. Dr. Chithramalee noted that cervical cancer is most commonly diagnosed in women between the ages of 35 and 44, with the average age being 50. The impact of losing a woman in this stage of life extends beyond individual families, making it imperative to address the disease effectively. Despite the health authorities’ efforts to enhance early detection facilities and treatment plans, cervical cancer remains a significant health concern. Emphasizing that cervical cancer is preventable and curable when detected early, Dr. Chithramalee highlighted the various screening methods being employed. While around 200,000 women undergo cervical cancer screening annually using the pap smear test, the World Health Organization recommends the HPV DNA test as the most sensitive method. However, the cost of implementing this test on a broader scale in Sri Lanka is currently a challenge. Dr. J. Padmaka Silva, Consultant Community Physician and National Programme Manager for the Well Woman Programme, outlined Sri Lanka’s commitment to the global strategy set by the World Health Organization to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030. The strategy includes vaccination of over 90 percent of girls with the HPV vaccine by the age of 15, screening 70 percent of women using a high-performance test at ages 35 and 45, and treating 90 percent of women identified with cervical disease. To achieve these goals, communication and social mobilization strategies have been implemented to increase awareness, and cervical cancer screening strategies have been included to achieve a 70 percent coverage with a high-performance test. The country is also focused on improving guidelines, knowledge, accessibility to screening services, laboratory capacities, and healthcare workforce. Despite these efforts, challenges such as poor knowledge on cervical cancer, pap testing, HPV, and HPV vaccine, coupled with stigma, myths, and misconceptions in the community, are identified as constraints to achieving the expected targets of cervical cancer prevention and care in the country. The panel discussion also featured contributions from Consultant Histopathologist Dr. Ramani Punchihewa and Dr. Sandeep Sewlikar from Roche Diagnostics.