INCan Expands Cervical Cancer Program to Boost Early Detection

Mexico’s National Cancer Institute (INCan) is expanding efforts to prevent and treat cervical cancer through the Comprehensive Model for Locally Advanced and Advanced Cervical Cancer Care (MICAELA), which provides individualized medical, nutritional and psychological support, along with nationwide prevention campaigns.

Launched in alignment with the National Day Against Cervical Cancer, the program aims to increase early detection and vaccination rates, addressing the high%age of patients who begin treatment at advanced stages. “In MICAELA, we work to educate and promote all prevention methods, offering integral treatment that includes psycho-oncology, nutrition, and oncology, as well as screening campaigns such as Pap smears and vaccination,” says Lucely Cetina, Head, MICAELA.

Cervical cancer is associated primarily with the human papillomavirus (HPV) and, according to INCan, is 99.7% preventable. While early-stage cases are curable in 95% of patients, Cetina says that 75% of women treated at public institutions arrive with locally advanced disease, and 10% present at advanced or metastatic stages, where survival rates drop to less than 30%.

The disease remains asymptomatic in its early stages, sometimes showing only minor vaginal discharge. More advanced symptoms can include abnormal vaginal bleeding, persistent discharge, lower back pain, pelvic limb pain, and swelling in the legs. Risk factors include smoking, malnutrition, immunosuppression, diabetes, and certain rheumatological diseases, which can facilitate HPV persistence and progression.

INCan data shows that most women diagnosed with cervical cancer in Mexico are between 30 and 50 years old, though about 10% of patients at the institute are over 60. The program recommends that women begin routine Pap smears after becoming sexually active and continue screenings until age 60, extending to age 70 for those with additional risk factors. Colposcopy and molecular testing for HPV strains are advised when necessary.

Cetina adds that prevention also involves men, who can reduce transmission risk by receiving HPV vaccination. “With these actions, women could practically eliminate the possibility of developing the disease,” she says.