The Savera Programme

• 26 Feb 2024

Why in News?

Recently, Haryana Chief Minister inaugurated the Savera programme, aimed at early detection and prevention of Breast Cancer. It was initiated by the Medanta Foundation in collaboration with the Health Department in Gurgaon.

Key Points

• Under the scheme, visually impaired people will conduct screening for breast cancer as they have natural tactile sensitivity.
• The importance of this ability has been understood, tested, and used by people associated with the medical world. Visually impaired people can detect breast cancer up to half a centimeter, whereas a normal doctor can detect it up to one centimeter, after examination.
  • In its initial phase, the programme will be launched at Civil Hospital in Sector 10, the polyclinic in Sector 31, and PHC in Wazirabad.
• According to the CM, about 90,000 women across the country lose their lives due to breast cancer, on a daily basis.
  • He also mentioned the establishment of the National Cancer Institute at AIIMS in Jhajjar district, which has been equipped with 1,000 beds.

Cancer

• About:
  • It is a complex and broad term used to describe a group of diseases characterised by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells in the body.
  • These abnormal cells, known as cancer cells, have the ability to invade and destroy healthy tissues and organs.
  • In a healthy body, cells grow, divide, and die in a regulated manner, allowing for the normal functioning of tissues and organs.
  • However, in the case of cancer, certain genetic mutations or abnormalities disrupt this normal cell cycle, causing cells to divide and grow uncontrollably.
• Breast Cancer
  • It is a disease in which abnormal breast cells grow out of control and form tumours. If left unchecked, the tumours can spread throughout the body and become fatal.
    • Breast cancer cells begin inside the milk ducts and/or the milk-producing lobules of the breast.
    • The earliest form (in situ) is not life-threatening. Cancer cells can spread into nearby breast tissue (invasion). This creates tumours that cause lumps or thickening.
    • Invasive cancers can spread to nearby lymph nodes or other organs (metastasize). Metastasis can be fatal.
  • Treatment is based on the person, the type of cancer and its spread. Treatment combines surgery, radiation therapy and medications.
• Cervical Cancer:
  • Cervical cancer develops in a woman's cervix (the entrance to the uterus from the vagina).
  • Almost all cervical cancer cases (99%) are linked to infection with high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV), an extremely common virus transmitted through sexual contact.
  • Two HPV types (16 and 18) are responsible for nearly 50% of high grade cervical pre-cancers.
  • Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women globally. About 90% of the new cases and deaths worldwide in 2020 occurred in low- and middle-income countries.