The Indian AI enabled Coploscope – A ray of hope for the fight against cervical cancer.
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi has been successful in developing a device called the Coploscope, which has been enabled with AI technology to aid the diagnosis of cervical cancer cases in India.
Cervical cancer is one of those types of cancer that can be easily traced, detected, and cured with the proper set of treatments if diagnosed at the right time. India accounts for nearly one-fifth of the cervical cancer cases in the world. Every year, on an average One lakh twenty thousand women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and nearly 70 thousand of them succumb to death. This indicates an alarming number of 200 mothers, breadwinners, teachers, and many talented ladies losing their precious lives everyday.
Indian women have proven their mettle in every field, from politics, sports, and economics to the scientific and medical fields. Leading female gynaecologists like Shailja Rathore have envisaged an awareness-creation programme among women for cervical cancer from the late 90s. Women like her have been trying hard to bring about awareness to decrease the death toll caused by cervical cancer, the “silent killer.”
There has been a prevalent taboo in Indian society to discuss reproductive health issues for women, but the time has come when these have been showing a reprimanding effect on women’s lives. Cervical cancer affects the cervical area of the female reproductive system and is characterised by abnormal cell growth in the cervical area. It is caused by the HPV ( Human Papilloma Virus), whose virulent strain can be present in sexually active women, but it can take about 15-20 years to cause cervical cancer, hence it is relatively simpler to detect its progress.
Earlier, cervical cancer was detected using the Papsmear test, which necessitated the need for appropriate laboratories for testing and trained healthcare professionals who would smear some cells from the cervical area , observe any abnormalities under the microscope and produce the results. This test is sensitive and has to be performed once every three years for proper clinical trial.
Due to the lack of awareness and testing infrastructure in Indian society, this test has been an out-of-pocket expense restricted to the reach of a few educated women. In small cities, the shyness and lack of awareness about this cancer further aggravated the plight of many women suffering from cervical cancer who succumbed due to lack of proper diagnosis and treatment.
Recently, in September 2022, the Indian government incorporated the indegineously developed cervical cancer vaccine, the Ceravac, under its Universal Immunization Program to provide vaccination to females from age 14 to provide them protection before attaining sexual activity. Then came the landmark moment when AIIMS Delhi began developing the AI-enabled coploscope. This will take proper images of the cervical area without the need for a highly trained professional, while the final results will lie with the skilled gynaecologists.
These two steps by the Indian government have created a ray of hope for the fight against cervical cancer. Once detected, it can be treated properly and the patient can lead a normal life. Cancer survivors experience physical and psychological trauma, which calls for proper care and attention to the same. Society needs to recognise their suffering and devise appropriate methods and common initiatives for a healthy existence.
It is indeed a wonderful initiative of the government towards women’s health, yet it’s implementation needs to be monitored properly as after its introduction, it will again create a demand for generating awareness among the masses and the need for setting up dedicated units for the usage and diagnosis of cervical cancer using this medical device so that the women can be diagnosed early, aiding suitable treatment strategies.
