The focus in the New Normal has shifted significantly to preventive measures in health care by way of early assessments to solve potential health issues. This also positively impacts affordability and gives a boost to self-care measures. The industry is being helped in this by advances in technology which are being used to save lives. Ganesh Prasad, MD & CEO, GenWorks says our focus is to provide such technology to every physician across India and build awareness about these solutions. GenWorks Health is a Wipro GE invested company with direct presence in 27 states and 120 locations.
In association with THE WEEK, GenWorks is bringing out a series about innovative solutions to Health care that are transforming lives and perceptions about healthcare.
Women’s health is an area of focus and it is very important to screen early to diagnose aberrations and prevent them from magnifying to adversely impact women wellness. Cancer of the cervix is one such life-threatening condition that can be prevented if we are able to identify the early onset of HPV infection in women. Dr Mallika Samuel, consultant gynaecologist, Apollo First Med Hospital says, “While this disease is very slow in progress it is important that we screen regularly as mandated by the MOH protocols which recommend that every woman over the age of 30 has to be screened for cervical health and a test repeated every three years."
Cervical Cancer happens when cells change in a woman’s cervix.This cancer can affect the deeper tissues of their cervix and may spread to other parts of their body (metastasize); often the lungs, liver, bladder, vagina, and rectum. “It is the commonest cancer in rural areas as early marriages are still very rampant in the villages and rural women are not aware of cervical screening and diagnosis is either never made or if diagnosed, it is very late and they present with invasive cervical cancer” says Dr Leela Digumarti, Assistant Professor, Gynaecological Oncology ,Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital & Research centre, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
The different methods of cervical cancer screening include Papanicolaou (Pap) smear, visual inspection of the cervix with acetic acid (VIA), HPV DNA test, and colposcopy. The EVA solution uses Colposcopy in its diagnosis.
A colposcope is a low-power, stereoscopic, binocular field microscope containing a powerful light source, used for magnified visual examination of the uterine cervix to help in the diagnosis of cervical neoplasia. This examination is not painful, has no side effects, and can be performed safely throughout pregnancy. However traditional colposcopy is bulky and is difficult to transport and is limited to use in large hospitals and diagnostic centres. EVA addresses this issue with its portability.
The World Health Organisation recommends a "See and Treat" approach. However, the traditional Cervical exam does not reveal the early stages of cervical cancer, which if detected, has a 92 per cent survival possibility. There was always a need for high resolution cameras and an expensive set up, making this screening limited to a handful of patients. Since it comes with an inbuilt smart phone, the Mobile ODT’s EVA eliminates the use of multiple gadgets, and it’s easy to set up system does away the need for an extra room for screening. Its mechanics magnify and annotate images while also saving them for quality review.
The Enhanced Visual Assessment (EVA) Systems addresses the challenges of lack of expertise and laboratory infrastructure in cervical cancer evaluation. The EVA System is infinitely smarter with many online features including an AI toolkit to support clinical decision making and service packages to optimize use based on the clinical scenarios.
The Automated Visual Examination (AVE) AI approach to cervical diagnosis, validated by the NCI, can identify lesions with a greater reliability than traditional Pap cytology and HPV testing. In the words of David Levitz, Co- founder & Chief Scientist at Mobile ODT “We set out to create smart medical solutions by combining the computational power of smart mobile devices with advanced imaging algorithms and Artificial Intelligence. The outcome promises to be a revolution in cervical cancer screening.”
The EVA VisualCheck is redefining cervical cancer diagnosis and treatment to bring about parity with developed countries. Women Technology is set for a revolution of sorts with the launch of this product. Like all AI supported gadgets, the data that is used to screen, annotate and classify information and provide directions for cure will herald a new era for women in the throes of Cervical Cancer.
