Cervical cancer screening programs in Nigeria
Cervical cancer screening programs in Nigeria include all public health interventions aimed at regular checks of the cervix of asymptomatic women with the aim of detecting precancerous lesions.
In Nigeria, cervical cancer is the most common life-threatening disease affecting the female genital tract, with an estimated 10,000 new cases and 8,000 deaths reported within the same period. The goal of cervical cancer screening and treatment of precancerous lesions is to decrease cervical cancer burden and reduce deaths by decreasing the progression from precancerous lesion to invasive cancer.[1].
Etiology
Cervical cancer is caused due to abnormal cell growth in the cervix called precancerous lesions. These are caused by the Human papillomavirus, predominantly the HPV 16 strain in about 50–70% of cases and the HPV 18 strain in 7–20% of cases.[2]
Public health screening programs in Nigeria
The public health screening interventions that are available for cervical cancer screening globally include: cytology-based screening, visual screening, HPV DNA testing, colposcopy, and spectroscopic techniques[3].
However, in Nigeria, the conventional Pap smear intervention is currently being used to screen for cervical cancer. In developing countries like Nigeria, the adoption of cervical cancer screening by women is largely affected by a lack of awareness and knowledge of cervical cancer, a lack of a comprehensive policy for cervical cancer prevention, and inadequate publicity of available strategies[4].
Efforts
It is essential to address the factors limiting cervical cancer screening in Nigeria through policies and health education[5]
References
- ↑ Abiodun, Olumide A.; Olu-Abiodun, Oluwatosin O.; Sotunsa, John O.; Oluwole, Francis A. (2014-08-07). "Impact of health education intervention on knowledge and perception of cervical cancer and cervical screening uptake among adult women in rural communities in Nigeria". BMC Public Health. 14 814. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-814. ISSN 1471-2458. PMC 4133628. PMID 25103189.
- ↑ Denny, Lynette; Adewole, Isaac; Anorlu, Rose; Dreyer, Greta; Moodley, Manivasan; Smith, Trudy; Snyman, Leon; Wiredu, Edwin; Molijn, Anco; Quint, Wim; Ramakrishnan, Gunasekaran; Schmidt, Johannes (2014-03-15). "Human papillomavirus prevalence and type distribution in invasive cervical cancer in sub-Saharan Africa". International Journal of Cancer. 134 (6): 1389–1398. doi:10.1002/ijc.28425. ISSN 1097-0215. PMID 23929250.
- ↑ "Zambia Hosts WHO Project Meeting on Strengthening Cervical Cancer Prevention Programmes in Six African Countries | WHO | Regional Office for Africa". www.afro.who.int. 2026-07-01. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
- ↑ Aniebue, P. N.; Aniebue, U. U. (2010-03-01). "Awareness and Practice of Cervical Cancer Screening Among Female Undergraduate Students in a Nigerian University". Journal of Cancer Education. 25 (1): 106–108. doi:10.1007/s13187-009-0023-z. ISSN 1543-0154. PMID 20082175.
- ↑ Ndikom, Chizoma Millicent; Ofi, Bola Abosede (2012-08-06). "Awareness, perception and factors affecting utilization of cervical cancer screening services among women in Ibadan, Nigeria: a qualitative study". Reproductive Health. 9 (1): 11. doi:10.1186/1742-4755-9-11. ISSN 1742-4755. PMC 3539913. PMID 22866676.