*UGC NET SRF, Ph.D. Research Scholar, Department of Anthropology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, U.P. India **Professor and Head, Department of Anthropology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, U.P. India Corresponding Author: ***Professor (Jr.), Radiation Oncology, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, U.P. India An Anthropological Study of Socio Economic Factors Associated with Cervical Cancer Patients at a Tertiary Care Centre in Northern India Manjulika Gautam*, Udai Pratap Singh** and Dr. Rohini Khurana*** Abstract Cervical cancer (CaCx) is the second most prevalent cancer among women across the world. Its spread calls for an urgent up scaling of prevention, early detection and diagnosis, treatment, and care services. Anthropology here comes as a means to suggest in depth understanding of the population at both serving and receiving end in the cancer coping mechanism. This study applies the holistic approach of Anthropology to closely observe and understand the socio economic factors associated with CaCx patients (both in patients and out patients) (n=141) being treated at a tertiary care centre in North India. The grounded theory has been used to analyse beliefs and perceptions of the patients regarding causes, symptoms, treatment and its outcome, transmission, other’s perception according to the patient, and recurrence have been analysed. The terms being used by the patients to refer to their disease, and the symptoms they have experienced have also been presented. The demographic data of the patients has been analysed and the relationship between age group, annual family income, and education level of the patients and their beliefs has been studied. Keywords- Anthropological study, Socio-economic factors, CaCx patients, Tertiary Care Centre Introduction In India Cervical cancer (CaCx) has taken the third position among all cancer sites. Estimated to have grown 34.59 times in past five years, the dreaded disease has taken 60,078 women. With as many as 96,922 new cases reported in 2018. (GLOBOCAN, 2018) In anthropology concepts of illness, sickness, disease, health, healing, and wholeness, deal with the medical aspects of human health. Being highly elusive the concepts are much subjective and person specific. The precise meaning of these terms is ambiguous as they are identified through first person judgement (including those of religion), to third person explanations (including those of science). (Boyd, 2000) Finding out what matters to another person is not a technical skill. It is an elective affinity to the patient. This orientation becomes part of the practitioner’s sense of self, and interpersonal skills become part of the practitioner’s clinical resources. And its main thrust is to focus on the patient as an individual, not a stereotype; as a human being facing danger and uncertainty, not merely a case; as an opportunity for the doctor to engage in an essential moral task, not an issue in cost accounting (Klienman & Benson, 2006) The patient’s experiences, their beliefs and perceptions, particularly in malignancies are empirical and hence need more attention in order to inform regarding interventions for early medical help for symptoms suggestive of CaCx.