About NICPR

About NICPR

The National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR) is an Institute of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Department of Health Research (DHR), fully supported by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India designated for research in Cancer prevention. The Institute was initially established as Cytology Research Centre (CRC) by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in 1979, and was elevated to the level of an Institute in 1989. Its mandate was broadened to carry out research in cancer prevention and was renamed as National Institute in 2016.

GENESIS

Realising the potential of cytology as a tool towards early detection of prevalent cancers in India, the Cancer Assessment Committee (Wahi Committee) in 1971 recommended the urgent need for establishment of a National Institute of Cytology. The Council as a first step created Cytology Section of the Indian Registry of Pathology (now National Institute of Pathology) by amalgamating the cytology programmes like the National Reference Centre of Cytology and the Central Cytology Contraceptive Testing Unit under Prof. Usha K. Luthra and later in 1979 upgraded this section to Cytology Research Centre into a full-fledged permanent Centre of the Council. The focus areas of the Centre were:
  1. Promotion of research in the field of cytology, cytogenetic, immunology and  immunocytology relating to problems peculiar to the country.
  2. Collection, clarification, and reproduction of representative spectrum of teaching material to medical colleges.
  3.  Referral service on unusual/peculiar cases.
  4.  Training of specialized categories of personnel in this field of biomedicine.
The Centre adopted a multidisciplinary approach to study the biological behavior and the natural history of cervical cancer and to identify various risk factors operating during the process of cervical carcinogenesis.
It was also planned to differentiate if possible the so-called “high risk” from “low risk” dysplasias in order to use the sparse management resources for those which needed it most. There were indications that cervical cancer is essentially a sexually transmitted disease with high probability of viral etiology. In order to study this, the Centre initiated work on Herpes simplex virus (HSV). The Centre also initiated the study to assess the role of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) in the process of cervical carcinogenesis. The earlier efforts were through detecting cytomorphological abnormalities, antigenic expression in the cells using immunoperoxidase technique, and through colposcopic visualization of HPV lesions. In order to use more sensitive techniques and to uncover latent infections, molecular hybridization technology was also standardized. Realizing the importance of Colposcopy as an important tool to evaluate the cytologically detected lesions and to provide an optimal treatment, the Centre established a central Colposcopy unit to guide the management of such patients.
The Centre adopted a multidisciplinary approach to study the biological behavior and the natural history of cervical cancer and to identify various risk factors operating during the process of cervical carcinogenesis.
It was also planned to differentiate if possible the so-called “high risk” from “low risk” dysplasias in order to use the sparse management resources for those which needed it most. There were indications that cervical cancer is essentially a sexually transmitted disease with high probability of viral etiology. In order to study this, the Centre initiated work on Herpes simplex virus (HSV). The Centre also initiated the study to assess the role of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) in the process of cervical carcinogenesis. The earlier efforts were through detecting cytomorphological abnormalities, antigenic expression in the cells using immunoperoxidase technique, and through colposcopic visualization of HPV lesions. In order to use more sensitive techniques and to uncover latent infections, molecular hybridization technology was also standardized. Realizing the importance of Colposcopy as an important tool to evaluate the cytologically detected lesions and to provide an optimal treatment, the Centre established a central Colposcopy unit to guide the management of such patients.
  1. Promote multidisciplinary research in the areas of cytopathology, cytogenetics, molecular biology, immunology, virology, ultrastructure, and biochemistry related to prevalent cancers in the country
  2. Augment/initiate clinico-epidemiological research to understand the phenomenology of prevalent cancers in the country
  3. Undertake clinical research and implementation of the results in the hospital/community settings
  4. Initiate community intervention studies for prevalent cancers in the country through health system research with emphasis on primary and secondary prevention approaches
  5. Generate reliable information on the morbidity and mortality profile of important cancers, the time trends as related to concurrent changes in the society through population-based cancer registry and collational studies.
  6. Augment human resources development for cancer research through formal and informal training courses, and
  7. Provide specialized diagnostic referral service.
Pap test facility was provided to patients of various government Hospitals of Delhi viz. Lok Nayak Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital, Sucheta Kriplani Hospital, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Swami Dayanand Hospital etc. Institute provided diagnostic services such as fine needle aspiration cytology and effusion fluid cytology to the patients referred from Lok Nayak Hospital and Railway Hospital of Delhi. The Institute organized cancer awareness and screening camps in various areas of Delhi – NCR. The concept of clinical downstaging, visual inspection of cervix cytology based screening and development of novel diagnostic approaches for HPV screening were introduced for early detection of cervical cancer. A Scientist from the Institute had developed a simple, portable and economical magnified visual device (AV Magnivisualizer) with light source for easy inspection of the uterine cervix as well as the oral cavity. The device had been accepted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and has been commercialized. Transcriptional control of viral gene expression and preparatory work on HPV vaccine, analysis of breast cancer susceptibility genes were some other major areas of research.
The institute is recognized by national and international scientific committees such as
  1. WHO HPV Reference Laboratory for South-east Asia for HPV Genotyping and Serology
  2. Colposcopy, MOHFW for training, Services
Apart from its routine research and training programs it also participated in scientific program on Bhopal gas tragedy.
Some of the pathbreaking achievements of the Institute were as follows:
  1. Understanding the natural history of cervical cancer and its precursors.
  2. HPV-detection techniques, candidate vaccine, transcription studies and factors affecting it.
  3. Clinical downstaging and visual inspection of cervix as an alternative to cervical cytology.
  4. Development of a magnifying device called Magnivisualizer for field screening for cervical cancer by trained paramedics.
  5. Field studies for the control of cervical cancer using different modalities: Alipur PHC, Delhi, the ICMR Study for Cervical Cancer Control at Dadri, and the PATH study for testing a new HPV kit at Dadri.
  6. The Tobacco Initiative -WHO.
  7. Dissemination of knowledge through workshops, training programmes etc.