Human papillomavirus testing for cervical cancer among women living with Hiv at the cape coast teaching hospital, Ghana

Abstract

Cervical cancer (CC) is a global health problem, with about 500,000 incident cases and 280,000 mortalities yearly. In Ghana, CC is the second commonest cancer associated with mortality and morbidity. Women living with HIV (WLHIV) are at a higher risk of developing pre-cervical cancer lesions. The world health organization (WHO) recommends Human Papillomavirus (HPV) DNA test for CC screening among women. This study determined the role of HPV DNA testing for CC screening among WLHIV at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH). A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 330 WLHIV at the gynecology and antiretroviral therapy clinics at CCTH. Cervical samples were self-collected and screened using the Atilla Biosystems Ampfire systems (Atila Biosystems, Mountain View, CA, USA). Socio-demographic, behavioral, and clinical characteristics of participants was obtained using a standardized questionnaire. Stata v.16 was used to analyze the data. The mean age was 47.2 (SD ±10.7). The prevalence of hr-HPV and multiple hr-HPV were 42.7% (95% CI: 37.4-0.48.1) and 60.3% respectively. HPV59 (50.4%), HPV18 (30.5%), HPV35 (26.2%), were the most prevalent genotypes. Educational level (AOR=7.55, 95% CI: 1.34-42.43, p=0.022) was associated with CC knowledge. HIV viral load ≥1000 copies/ml (AOR=5.58, 95% CI: 2.89-10.78, p<0.001) was associated with co-infection. The knowledge level of WLHIV on CC is low and the prevalence of hr-HPV in this study is high. There is the need for intensified surveillance and a comprehensive CC prevention programme for WLHIV in Ghana.