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Cervical cancer in Nigeria: The case for multidisciplinary action
Abstract   Open access   Peer reviewed

Cervical cancer in Nigeria: The case for multidisciplinary action

Folasade Odeniyi, Michele Follen and Isaac F Adewole
Journal of women's health (Larchmont, N.Y. 2002), v 21(4), pp A-19-A-19
Apr 2012
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2012.Ab01 (p19)
url
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/jwh.2012.Ab01View
SubmittedOpen Access (License Unspecified),  Open

Abstract

Background: Globally, an estimated 500,000 cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed and over 288,000 deaths are recorded annually, with 80% of deaths occurring in developing countries (Nwankwo, 2011). In Nigeria, cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women with an estimated incidence of 20–30 cases per 100,000 women (GLOBOCAN, 2008). In the United States, since the 1950’s, the introduction of cytology-based screening has led to a reduction in the incidence of cervical cancer from 38 to 5 cases per 100,000 people (Parkin 2008). Objectives: Operation Stop Cervical Cancer in Nigeria (OSSCN) developed a comprehensive screening program to provide necessary equipment, training, and data infrastructure to deliver a full range of cervical cancer screening and treatment services to six university medical centers throughout Nigeria. Methods: Six centers throughout Nigeria were identified and underwent a needs assessment of their capacity to engage in cervical cancer control efforts. Healthcare workers from each facility underwent clinical training in cervical cancer screening and treatment, while hospital administrators and registrars were trained in data management and Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) cancer registry methodology. Results: From 2006–2008, over 12,000 women were screened,548 (5.4%) presented with abnormal lesions, and 31 invasive cancers were detected. Additionally, 70 participants including gynecologists, pathologists, midwives, nursing directors, and bioengineers were trained in range of courses of which included colposcopy and LEEP among nurses and physicians. Conclusions: Program efforts have made a significant impact on screening capacity at the six centers and have displayed the feasibility of establishing automated cytology based screening in a resource-poor setting. Despite recent developments to make HPV vaccine affordable to developing countries, there is still a need to develop screening programs to ensure that all women at risk have access to care.

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