ABSTRACT

The use of Visual Inspection for screening of Premalignant lesions of the cervix in a resource poor setting
Anisah Yahya¹, Aisha Mustapha¹, Bilkisu Lawal Kankia¹, Adekunle Oguntayo¹, Abimbola Kolawole¹, Umoru Odoje Raymond², Fatima Aminu Mahmud¹, Hadiza Mohammed Tanko², Hauwa Sanusi Gumbi², Fatima Shehu Abdullahi², Rahmat Balaraba Dauda²
Objective: Despite lower specificity when compared to other methods of screening for premalignant lesions of the cervix, the use of Visual Inspection with Acetic acid (VIA) and Visual Inspection with Lugol's Iodine (VILLI) for screening and treatment of Premalignant lesions of the cervix still have a role to play in low- and middle-income countries that lack organized screening programs. We assessed the awareness of women on screening for premalignant lesions during an outreach programme and also reported the findings from VIA/VILLI performed on these women. Methodology: It was a cross sectional study conducted across 3 health facilities in Zaria in February 2021 during an outreach programme to mark the world cancer day. The sample size included 106 women that presented for free screening and treatment for Premalignant lesions of the cervix. Awareness about cervical cancer and screening were assessed and VIA/VILLI were done and reported based on the International Agency for Research in Cancer reporting format. Result: The mean age of participants was 37.9 years (SD 6.0). More than half of the women (51.9%) have heard about cervical cancer prior to the programme but only 21.8% were aware of screening for premalignant lesions of the cervix. Uptake of screening was 50% among clients that were aware of screening. Premalignant lesions were diagnosed in 3.8% of participants. A case (0.9%) of invasive cancer was also detected. Conclusion: VIA/VILLI still have a role to play in the prevention of cervical cancer in resource poor settings and regions that lack organized programs for prevention of cervical cancer.
10.51658/ABMS.202331.3
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