INTRODUCTION : Very few women undergo cervical cancer screening, therefore this narrative review aims to identify
barriers among women to screening in India which can in turn aid in better delivery of ongoing screening programs. The
objective of this study is to understand the barriers faced by women to uptake cervical cancer screening in India.
METHODS : We did a narrative review, for which nine articles obtained after thorough search from database with
appropriate search strategy and data extraction. Data are analysed in an inductive thematic analysis approach under two
components RESULTS : The barriers faced by women in cancer screening were grouped into two main themes. The first
theme highlighted a lack of awareness about symptoms and disease and women not feeling at risk for the disease, the second
theme included barriers such as loss of pay, lack of family support and social stigma, particularly in rural areas. However,
most studies indicated that education positively correlates with increased cancer screening uptake.
CONCLUSION : Addressing barriers to cervical cancer screening requires a multi-pronged approach. Public health
campaigns should raise awareness about cervical cancer, its symptoms, and the benefits of early detection, especially in
rural and low-income communities. Culturally sensitive interventions can tackle social stigma and engage family members
in preventive healthcare. Training healthcare providers to address fears and build trust is also crucial. Shifting to HPV-
based screening from Visual Inspection with Acetic acid (VIA) can overcome many barriers as it is painless, encouraging
participation, and self-sampling enhances compliance. HPV testing offers greater sensitivity and specificity, enabling
accurate risk assessment and motivating regular screenings which is recommended by the World Health Organization.