Description
Introduction
Cervical cancer remains a leading cause of morbidity among women in low and middle-income countries. Early detection through screening programs is critical for prevention and timely intervention. The cervical cancer screening surveillance system provides vital data to monitor trends, identify high-risk populations, and guide resource allocation.
This report evaluates the performance of the cervical cancer screening surveillance system, describing the screened populations, prevalence of precancerous lesions, and associations with risk factors such as HIV status at Wamalwa Kijana Teaching and Referral Hospital.
Methods
Data were obtained from the cervical cancer screening register (MOH704) for 204 women screened for cervical cancer through visual inspection methods with acetic acid between August to November 2024. The dataset was cleaned to remove missing values. Variables analyzed included age, HIV status and screening results. Descriptive epidemiology was conducted in terms of person, place, and time. Analytical methods, including calculation of odds ratio, risk ratio, p-value and chi-square were applied to assess associations between HIV status and cervical precancerous lesions.
Results
Of 204 women screened, 7(3.4%) had precancerous lesions. HIV-positive women had a higher prevalence (14.3%, 4/28) compared to HIV-negative women (1.7%, 3/176). The odds ratio was 9.61(95% Cl: 2.02-45.59), while the risk ratio was 8.38 (95% Cl: 1.98-35.48). The risk difference was 12.6% (95% Cl: -0.26-25.68). Statistically test showed significant association: Chi-square (uncorrected)=11.54, p=0.00068, Fisher's Exact test= p=0.00070. All p-values are <0.005, showing the association between HIV status and precancerous cervical lesions is statistically significant.
Conclusion
HIV-positive women in this surveillance population were about eight times likely to develop precancerous cervical lesions compared to HIV-negative women, with results statistically significant across multiple tests. These findings underscore the importance of strengthening cervical cancer screening and follow-up among HIV-positive women, and highlight the need for ongoing surveillance to refine risk estimates and guide targeted prevention.
| Country | Kenya |
|---|---|
| Organization | Government of Kenya |
| Position | clinical officer oncology |
| Received a Grant? | No |
