Experts call for India-specific breast cancer screening guidelines

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Medical experts have urged India to stop relying on Western breast cancer screening models and to develop its own evidence-based approach suited to Indian women. They warned that simply “copy-pasting” Western guidelines will not work, as India’s population, lifestyle, and healthcare access differ significantly.

These concerns were voiced during the 12th National Conference of the Breast Imaging Society of India (BISI), held on Saturday under the theme “Screening to Survival.” Industrialist Mohini Kelkar inaugurated the event, joined by Dr. Shivaji Sukre, Dr. Varsha Rote-Kaginalkar, Dr. Ajay Ware, and other leading experts from across the country. Following the inauguration, a key panel on “Mapping of Breast Cancer Screening in India” brought together global specialists including Dr. Woo Kyung Moon (Korea), Dr. Nikita Gidwani (USA), Dr. Serena Carrero (Italy), Dr. Madhavi Chandra, Dr. Smruti Hari, Dr. Suma Chakrabarti, and Dr. Anagha Varudkar, Head of Surgical Oncology at the Government Cancer Hospital. They emphasized that India must adopt population-based screening to ensure early detection and save lives.

Key challenges in India

Experts identified several barriers to effective breast cancer control:

• Absence of population-based screening programmes

• Rising cases among younger women

• Increasingly aggressive tumor types

• Low awareness and delayed diagnosis

• Cultural hesitation in consulting male doctors

• Reluctance to discuss breast health openly

• Male dominance in treatment decisions

• Limited diagnostic facilities and specialists

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‘Early detection is key to survival’

Dr. Anagha Varudkar pointed out that 90% of breast cancer cases in the U.S. are detected early, thanks to widespread screening. In contrast, about 75% of Indian patients are diagnosed in the third or fourth stage, drastically lowering survival chances. She stressed that India needs locally driven awareness and screening strategies to reverse this trend.

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Photo caption:

Dr. Serena Carrero speaks during the session on “Mapping of Breast Cancer Screening in India.” Also seen are Dr. Nikita Gidwani, Dr. Woo Kyung Moon, Dr. Anagha Varudkar, Dr. Madhavi Chandra, and Dr. Suma Chakrabarti.