Sharon Kapambwe

Advancing Cervical Cancer Prevention Initiatives in Resource-Constrained Settings: Insights from the Cervical Cancer Prevention Program in Zambia

Groesbeck Parham and colleagues describe their Cervical Cancer Prevention Program in Zambia, which has provided services to over 58,000 women over the past five years, and share lessons learned from the programs implementation and integration with existing HIV/AIDS programs.

Recommendations for screening and early detection of common cancers in India

Cancers of the breast, uterine cervix, and lip or oral cavity are three of the most common malignancies in India. Together, they account for about 34% of more than 1 million individuals diagnosed with cancer in India each year. At each of these cancer sites, tumours are detectable at early stages when they are most likely to be cured with standard treatment protocols. Recognising the key role that effective early detection and screening programmes could have in reducing the cancer burden, the Indian Institute for Cytology and Preventive Oncology, in collaboration with the US National Cancer Institute Center for Global Health, held a workshop to summarise feasible options and relevant evidence for screening and early detection of common cancers in India. The evidence-based recommendations provided in this Review are intended to act as a guide for policy makers, clinicians, and public health practitioners who are developing and implementing strategies in cancer control for the three most common cancers in India.

Utilization of cervical cancer screening services and trends in screening positivity rates in a 'screen-and-treat' program integrated with HIV/AIDS care in Zambia.

Background In the absence of stand-alone infrastructures for delivering cervical cancer screening services, efforts are underway in sub-Saharan Africa to dovetail screening with ongoing vertical health initiatives like HIV/AIDS care programs. Yet, evidence demonstrating the utilization of cervical cancer prevention services in such integrated programs by women of the general population is lacking. Methods We analyzed program operations data from the Cervical Cancer Prevention Program in Zambia (CCPPZ), the largest public sector programs of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa. We evaluated patterns of utilization of screening services by HIV serostatus, examined contemporaneous trends in screening outcomes, and used multivariable modeling to identify factors associated with screening test positivity. Results Between January 2006 and April 2011, CCPPZ services were utilized by 56,247 women who underwent cervical cancer screening with visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), aided by digital cervicography. The proportion of women accessing these services who were HIV-seropositive declined from 54% to 23% between 2006–2010, which coincided with increasing proportions of HIV-seronegative women (from 22% to 38%) and women whose HIV serostatus was unknown (from 24% to 39%) (all p-for trend<0.001). The rates of VIA screening positivity declined from 47% to 17% during the same period (p-for trend <0.001), and this decline was consistent across all HIV serostatus categories. After adjusting for demographic and sexual/reproductive factors, HIV-seropositive women were more than twice as likely (Odds ratio 2.62, 95% CI 2.49, 2.76) to screen VIA-positive than HIV-seronegative women. Conclusions This is the first ‘real world’ demonstration in a public sector implementation program in a sub-Saharan African setting that with successful program scale-up efforts, nurse-led cervical cancer screening programs targeting women with HIV can expand and serve all women, regardless of HIV serostatus. Screening program performance can improve with adequate emphasis on training, quality control, and telemedicine-support for nurse-providers in clinical decision making.

Myths and misconceptions about cervical cancer among Zambian women: rapid assessment by peer educators.

Objective. To make a rapid assessment of the common myths and misconceptions surrounding the causes of cervical cancer and lack of screening among unscreened low-income Zambian women. Methods. We initiated a door-to-door community-based initiative, led by peer educators, to inform unscreened women about the existence of a new see-and-treat cervical cancer prevention program. During home visits peer educators posed the following two questions to women: 1. What do you think causes cervical cancer? 2. Why haven’t you been screened for cervical cancer? The most frequent types of responses gathered in this exercise were analyzed thematically. Results. Peer educators contacted over 1100 unscreened women over a period of two months. Their median age was 33 years, a large majority (58%) were not educated beyond primary school, over two-thirds (71%) did not have monthly incomes over 500,000 Zambian Kwacha (US

Clinical Performance Validation of 4 Point-of-Care Cervical Cancer Screening Tests in HIV-Infected Women in Zambia.

100) per month, and just over half (51%) were married and cohabiting with their spouses. Approximately 75% of the women engaged in discussions had heard of cervical cancer and had heard of the new cervical cancer prevention program in the local clinic. The responses of unscreened low-income Zambian women to questions posed by peer educators in urban Lusaka reflect the variety of prevalent ‘folk’ myths and misconceptions surrounding cervical cancer and its prevention methods. Conclusion. The information in our rapid assessment can serve as a basis for developing future educational and intervention campaigns for improving uptake of cervical cancer prevention services in Zambia. It also speaks to the necessity of ensuring that programs addressing women’s reproductive health take into account societal inputs at the time they are being developed and implemented. Taking a community-based participatory approach to program development and implementation will help ensure sustainability and impact. (Global Health Promotion, 2010; Supp (2): pp. 47—50)

Clinical performance of digital cervicography and cytology for cervical cancer screening in HIV-infected women in Lusaka Zambia.

Objectives We sought to determine the clinical performance of visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), digital cervicography (DC), Xpert human papillomavirus (HPV), and OncoE6 for cervical cancer screening in an HIV-infected population. Materials and Methods HIV-infected women 18 years or older were included in this cross-sectional validation study conducted in Lusaka, Zambia. The screening tests were compared against a histological gold standard. We calculated sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, positive and negative likelihood ratios, and odds ratios using cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN 2+) and grade 3 or worse (CIN 3+) thresholds. Results Between January and June 2015, a total of 200 women were enrolled. Fifteen percent were screen positive by VIA, 20% by DC, 47% by Xpert HPV, and 6% by OncoE6. Using a CIN 2+ threshold, the sensitivity and specificity of VIA were 48% (95% CI = 30%–67%) and 92% (95% CI = 86%–95%), respectively. Similarly, the sensitivity and specificity of DC were 59% (95% CI = 41%–76%) and 88% (95% CI = 82%–93%), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of Xpert HPV were 88% (95% CI = 71%–97%) and 60% (95% CI = 52%–68%), respectively. Finally, the sensitivity and specificity of OncoE6 were 31% (95% CI = 16%–50%) and 99% (95% CI = 97%–100%), respectively. Conclusions VIA and DC displayed moderate sensitivity and high specificity. Xpert HPV performed equivalently to currently approved HPV DNA tests, with high sensitivity and moderate specificity. OncoE6 displayed excellent specificity but low sensitivity. These results confirm an important role for VIA, DC, and Xpert HPV in screen-and-treat cervical cancer prevention in low- and middle-income countries, such as Zambia.

Motivations and experiences of women who accessed "see and treat" cervical cancer prevention services in Zambia

Abstract:Although there is a growing literature on the clinical performance of visual inspection with acetic acid in HIV-infected women, to the best of our knowledge, none have studied visual inspection with acetic acid enhanced by digital cervicography. We estimated clinical performance of cervicography and cytology to detect cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse. Sensitivity and specificity of cervicography were 84% [95% confidence interval (CI): 72 to 91) and 58% (95% CI: 52 to 64). At the high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion or worse cutoff for cytology, sensitivity and specificity were 61% (95% CI: 48 to 72) and 58% (95% CI: 52 to 64). In our study, cervicography seems to be as good as cytology in HIV-infected women.

Implementation and operational research: Age distribution and determinants of invasive cervical cancer in a "Screen-and-Treat" program integrated With HIV/AIDS care in Zambia

Background: In Zambia, a country with a generalized HIV epidemic, age-adjusted cervical cancer incidence is among the highest worldwide. In 2006, the University of Alabama at Birmingham-Center for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia and the Zambian Ministry of Health launched a visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) -based “see and treat” cervical cancer prevention program in Lusaka. All services were integrated within existing government-operated primary health care facilities. Objective: Study aims were to (i) identify women’s motivations for cervical screening, (ii) document women’s experiences with screening and (iii) describe the potentially reciprocal influences between women undergoing cervical screening and their social networks. Design and methods: Focus group discussions (FGD) and in-depth interviews (IDI) were conducted with women who accepted screening and with care providers. Low-level content analysis was performed to identify themes evoked by participants. Between September 2009 and July 2010, 60 women and 21 care providers participated in 8 FGD and 10 IDI. Results: Women presented for screening with varying needs and expectations. A majority discussed their screening decisions and experiences with members of their social networks. Key reinforcing factors and obstacles to VIA screening were identified. Conclusions: Interventions are needed to gain support for the screening process from influential family members and peers.

Scaling up proven innovative cervical cancer screening strategies: Challenges and opportunities in implementation at the population level in low‐ and lower‐middle‐income countries

Background:Cervical cancer screening efforts linked to HIV/AIDS care programs are being expanded across sub-Saharan Africa. Evidence on the age distribution and determinants of invasive cervical cancer (ICC) cases detected in such programs is limited. Methods:We analyzed program operations data from the Cervical Cancer Prevention Program in Zambia, the largest public sector programs of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa. We examined age distribution patterns by HIV serostatus of histologically confirmed ICC cases and used multivariable logistic regression to evaluate independent risk factors for ICC among younger (⩽35 years) and older (>35 years) women. Results:Between January 2006 and April 2010, of 48,626 women undergoing screening, 571 (1.2%) were diagnosed with ICC, including 262 (46%) HIV seropositive (median age: 35 years), 131 (23%) HIV seronegative (median age: 40 years), and 178 (31%) of unknown HIV serostatus (median age: 38 years). Among younger (⩽35 years) women, being HIV seropositive was associated with a 4-fold higher risk of ICC [adjusted odds ratio = 4.1 (95% confidence interval: 2.8, 5.9)] than being HIV seronegative. The risk of ICC increased with increasing age among HIV-seronegative women and women with unknown HIV serostatus, but among HIV-seropositive women, the risk peaked around age 35 and nonsignificantly declined with increasing ages. Other factors related to ICC included being married (vs. being unmarried/widowed) in both younger and older women, and with having 2+ (vs. ⩽1) lifetime sexual partners among younger women. Conclusions:HIV infection seems to have increased the risk of cervical cancer among younger women in Zambia, pointing to the urgent need for expanding targeted screening interventions.

Monitoring the performance of “screen-and-treat” cervical cancer prevention programs

The problem of cervical cancer in low‐ and lower‐middle‐income countries (LLMICs) is both urgent and important, and calls for governments to move beyond pilot testing to population‐based screening approaches as quickly as possible. Experiences from Zambia, Bangladesh, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, where scale‐up of evidence‐based screening strategies is taking place, may help other countries plan for large‐scale implementation. These countries selected screening modalities recommended by the WHO that are within budgetary constraints, improve access for women, and reduce health system bottlenecks. In addition, some common elements such as political will and government investment have facilitated action in these diverse settings. There are several challenges for continued scale‐up in these countries, including maintaining trained personnel, overcoming limited follow‐up and treatment capacity, and implementing quality assurance measures. Countries considering scale‐up should assess their readiness and conduct careful planning, taking into consideration potential obstacles. International organizations can catalyze action by helping governments overcome initial barriers to scale‐up.