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Abstract
Introduction/Background The recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), published in November 2020 as a call to healthcare systems globally to move forwards towards eradication of cervical cancer, include recommendations for high-risk Human Papillomavirus (hrHPV) based cervical cancer screening, followed by treatment with ablation for those who test hrHPV positive. However, significant challenges remain when it comes to implementing a feasible secondary prevention strategy in low-resource settings. The objective of our study is to evaluate the feasibility of a cervical cancer screening program with hrHPV self-sampling in non-pregnant women in Techiman, Ghana.
Methodology 30–49-year-old, asympyomatic women will be invited to participate. HrHPV testing will be performed with HPV self-sampling kits. Women who test positive for hrHPV will be invited to undergo visual assessment of the cervix at colposcopy with 5% acetic acid. If there is suspicion of invasion, one or more cervical biopsy will be performed. Any areas that meet the criteria for treatment will be thermally ablated using Liger thermocoagulator (Brand of the coagulator). Follow-up after treatment will be undertaken after 6 months with hrHPV self-sampling. The hrHPV negative cohort will be encouraged to re-screen after 3–5 years and will be excluded from the study.
Study Design: Pilot study, prospective cohort study design
Primary Outcome: Feasibility
Secondary Outcomes: Cost-effectiveness, Side-effects, obstacles.
Results Yet to evaluate - Data collection Phase.
Conclusion Our study aims to identify a feasible standard for low- and middle-income-countries (LMIC) that allows to reach the WHO cervical cancer elimination policy.
Similar studies from other in LMIC would help to build a internationally validated model that can be widely recommended and helps to significantly reduce incidence and mortality of cervical cancer due to hrHPV.
Disclosures Nadja Taumberger and Teresa L. Pan have no disclosures.
G. Murat has filled out the COI form as uploaded.
