Description
ABSTRACT
Background:Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide, with the highest burden in in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where it is the second most common cancer in women.Nearly 90% of the estimated 570,000 new cases and 311,000 deaths in 2018 occurredin LMICs.
Aim/Objective: The objective of the program was to promote cervical cancer awareness and early detection strategies including the introduction of Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) and Iodine (VILI) as screening tools among our women.
Method:This was a cross – sectional study a reflective analysis of the VIA/VILI result of 101 women who participated in a cervical cancer awareness and screening community outreach organised by Preventive Health Care Initiative, a nongovernmental organization in Rivers State, Nigeria. A structured survey form was administered to all the women who consented to screening (after explanation of the procedure).The data was coded and analysis was performed in simple statistical method.
Results:The age range of women screened was between 19 and 73years with a mean age of 39years and 82 (81%) were within the reproductive age. Sixty six (65%) of the women had tertiary education while thirty and three of them had secondary and primary education respectively, only two women had no formal education.
Majority of the women 56 (55%) were married while 35 (32%) were single and 10 (9%) were widows. The average age of participants at first sexual exposure was 20 years with 25 (23%) commencing sexual activity before 18 years. Forty one (37%) of the women were grand multiparous, only eighteen (16%) claimed never to have been pregnant.
There were 15 (15%) VIA /VILI positive cases and 3 (2.7%) were clinically suspicious of invasive cervical cancer.
Conclusion:The study revealed that there were 15 (15%) VIA /VILI positive cases and 3 (2.7%) were clinically suspicious of invasive cervical cancer. In addition, the study revealed the average age at coitarche was20 years.
Key words:Cervical cancer, Screening, Preventive Healthcare Initiative, Nigeria.
