Cervical Cancer Screening by Self-sampling in a Cohort of Younger Women in Ethiopia
Cervical CancerSTI2 moreThe overall purpose of the project is to evaluate an algorithm for an HPV self-sampling based cervical cancer screening algorithm in a mid-size town in Ethiopia that could be applicable for nationwide implementation in low and middle-income countries (LMIC). Specific aims are the following: To evaluate the algorithm using Visual Inspection with Acetic acid (VIA) and VIA together with Lugol's Iodine (VILI) as triage and to use HPV self-sample to follow up those treated and those with persisting HPV. To evaluate the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae and their effect on the quality of VIA. To determine immune response profiles in high-risk HPV-positive women who cleared, persisted, or developed Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia 2/3 (CIN). To assess how specific cervicovaginal microbiota compositions are associated with HPV infection, cervical dysplasia, and cancer
Evaluation of Triage Options After HPV Testing for Cervical Cancer Screening Among HIV-infected...
HIV InfectionsHPV - Anogenital Human Papilloma Virus InfectionCervical cancer is the most common cause of cancer and a leading cause of death among HIV-infected women living in resource-limited settings. Although screening for premalignant lesions is an effective way of reducing cervical cancer incidence, its uptake in low-resource settings to date is low. The use of HPV testing for primary screening is currently recommended by many guidelines - including the WHO guidelines for cervical cancer screening in resource-limited settings - because of its greater sensitivity and ease of use compared to other options. However, these WHO guidelines have both highlighted the need to conduct more research on appropriate HPV-based algorithms among HIV-infected women, as immunodeficiency may affect the screening performance. Indeed, HPV infections in HIV-infected women are very common, so there is a need for additional triage to identify women most at risk and there remains considerable uncertainty on the optimal option for such triage. Most of the evidence available comes from HIV-negative populations living in high-resource settings and is not necessarily relevant for low-resource contexts where the epidemiological background is different, women access late to screening and may not have follow up visits, where financial constraints are important and health service resources limited. Hence, the proposed project aims to provide evidence on the effectiveness and feasibility of HPV-based screening algorithms among HIV-infected women in low-resource settings. This multicenter cross-sectional study will include 3,000 HIV-infected women (30-49 years old) receiving HAART and followed in Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso) and Phnom Penh (Cambodia). After self-collection of cervico-vaginal samples, each participant will have an HPV test with partial genotyping primary using the Xpert HPV assay, a real-time PCR assay that provides the possibility of identifying 14 HR-HPV types within one hour. The Xpert HPV test has been chosen because of the wide availability of the Genexpert platform in HIV care centers from resource-limited settings. Furthermore, it can specifically detect HPV-16, 18 and 45, the most carcinogenic HPV types in both HIV-negative and HIV-positive women, separately from other high-risk HPV types. VIA will be another triage option either alone or combined to HPV DNA genotyping. In addition, participants treated for cervical lesion will be followed over 12 months to assess the risk of post-treatment lesions (CIN2+/HSIL) and to identify associated risk-factors.
Dietary Fiber During Radiotherapy - a Placebo-controlled Randomized Trial
Malignant NeoplasmMalignant Neoplasm of Rectum8 moreThe investigators hypothesize that an increase in dietary fiber intake during radiation therapy may provide better long-term intestinal health for the cancer survivor. If the hypothesis is not correct, the increased intake may only mean an increase in acute side effects. All participants are advised to consume at least 16 g of dietary fiber/day via food. In addition, participants are invited to take capsules that together contain either 5.5 g of dietary fiber from psyllium husk or placebo.
A Proximity-incentive Strategy for Cervical Cancer Screening
Cervical CancerUterine Cervical Disease1 moreIn France, cervical cancer screening is based on a cervical smear for women aged 25 to 30 years and on High Risk- HPV (HR-HPV) testing for women aged 30 to 65 years. One of the main concerns in France is poor attendance to this screening program, up to 40% of women, which led French Health Authorities to implement population-based organized cervical cancer screening (DO CCU), based on remind letters, starting in 2019. Our project is a complementary strategy to DO CCU based on direct proposal of a vaginal self-sample device for HR-HPV testing to non-attendee women while attending health care centers. Our hypothesis is that contacting under-screened women directly and proposing them a self-sample device to be used at home will increase their participation to cervical cancer screening. This project will be held in the Departments of Hérault and Aude, which are among those in the region of Occitanie (south of France) with the lowest participation to cervical cancer screening. Women aged 50 to 65 years with no cervical smear and/or gynecological examination for more than three years, will be recruited in two sites: in a mobile unit for breast cancer screening implemented in the whole Department of Hérault and in a Medical and Social Care located in a particularly deprived area of Aude (Limoux-Quillan). In each site, non attendee-women will be proposed by a trained mid-wife, a vaginal self-sample device to perform at home and send back by mail to the laboratory of the Hospital of Montpellier, which will perform HR-HPV testing. Women with positive HR-HPV DNA test will be asked to perfom a cervical smear and completion of follow-up will be monitored. The primary objective of this study will be to evaluate attendance of under-screened women to vaginal self-sampling for cervical cancer screening, i.e. the number of women who accepted a self-sample device among women to whom it has been proposed. A second objective will be to analyse psycho-social factors associated with cervical cancer screening in this population of non-attendee women, i.e. their socio-economic environment and the way women perceive and are implicated in cervical cancer screening. This secondary objective will be based on a specific questionnaire at recruitment and on semi-directive phone interviews in a sub-group of women. The efficacy of this screening strategy (number of women who performed vaginal self sample and sent it to the laboratory, and number of women who completed follow-up in case of a positive HR-HPV test) will also be monitored. The number of women to be recruited is 300 for each site. The total estimated duration of the project is 48 months, including 24 months for women's recruitment. Expected results from this project are: An increase in participation to cervical cancer screening of non-attendee women aged 50 to 65 years in the Departments of Hérault and Aude. Women's education about cervical cancer screening through discussion with the midwife during recruitment and information tools developed for the project Information of local health staff and community-based associations about cervical cancer screening and the place of HR-HPV testing. Identification of psycho-social factors and potential barriers to compliance to cervical cancer screening. Identification of organizational and practical difficulties that must be overcome to improve preventive actions towards deprived populations.
Concomitant HPV Vaccination and HPV Screening HPV Infection and Cervical Cancer in Sweden
HPV InfectionCIN 2/31 moreThe study aims to evaluate whether organised, concomitant HPV vaccination and HPV screening offered to all resident women aged 22-27 will result in a more rapid elimination of HPV infection in Sweden. This objective will be examined at the population level.
SMS-based Summons in Cervical Screening
Cervical CancerUterine Cervical Neoplasm10 morePrevention of cervical cancer with cervical screening (gynecological cell test) is one of the most successful screening activities in medicine. In Sweden screening has taken place since the 1960s and prevented tens of thousands of women from having cervical cancer. There are strong reasons why it is especially important to promote that invitations to sampling really is reaching out. The women who regularly attend screening after the invitation reduce their risk of cervical cancer by as much as 90%. Of the women who currently have cervical cancer (about 550 women per year in Sweden), as many as 38% did not participate in the screening. Invitations for screening are sent to the entire population in Sweden aged 23-70. Current national estimate of how many in the population participating as recommended is 82.9% of the population. In addition, many women sometimes participate (they then get some reduced cancer risk). The highest cancer risk is among those women who have never participated as well as women who have had cell changes but have not participated. Cervical cancer is the first form of cancer for which there are approved molecular screening tests (HPV test). Unlike the older screening method (cytology), it works great to take a cervical sample at home if the sample is to be analyzed for HPV (the analysis method is so sensitive that it does not matter if the sample is not optimally taken). Invitations and reminders about cervical screening are today sent out with physical letters (about 3 million letters per year in Sweden). These dispatches involve waste of resources and has a negative environmental impact. Regarding reminders, we have seen in previous research that the effect is not optimal. When sending a physical reminder letter to women who have not participated in more than 10 years (current routine), only 2% of the women recalled came for sampling. Reminders with SMS are now standard for many businesses in society, such as car testing or dental appointments. It is inexpensive, saves the environment and there are studies that suggest it is more effective than sending physical letters. In this study, we intend to investigate whether SMS reminders for screening lead to increased participation and thus to a higher proportion of detected, treatable precursors of cervical cancer compared to before.
Salud en Mis Manos - Expansion 2
Breast CancerCervical CancerThe purpose of this study is to increase early detection and prevention of breast and cervical cancer through education and navigation and to increase breast and cervical cancer screening and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in underserved Latinas.
Self-sampling for Non-attenders to Cervical Cancer Screening
Cervical CancerCervical Dysplasia1 moreThe trial will evaluate whether self-sampling and human papillomavirus (HPV) testing may increase cervical cancer screening attendance among under-screened women in Czech Republic. Different ways of offering self-sampling device will be evaluated.
Combined Incentive Actions, Focusing on Primary Care, to Improve Cervical Cancer Screening in Women...
Cervical CancerThough potentially eradicable, cervical cancer is the 3rd most prevalent gynecological cancer, and the 2nd most prevalent before the age of 45. In France, approximately 1100 women die from cervical cancer each year, with 5-year survival strongly linked to the stage at diagnosis (93%, 63%, 35% and 16% for stages IA, IIA, IIIA and IVA). The prevention of cervical cancer is currently based on the combination of the vaccination of adolescent girls against the most common high-risk oncogenic human papilloma virus types and routine Papanicolaou cytology (Pap smears) every three years in women aged 25 to 65 years. The Health and Social Protection Survey conducted by the Institute for Research and Documentation in Health Economics in 2012 showed that young women who are not vaccinated have a socio-economic profile similar to that of women who do not attend cervical cancer screening, mainly: (i) the least screened women and least vaccinated young women live in low-income families; (ii) a low level of education is associated with fewer Pap smears; (iii) an absence of pap smears in mothers in the last three years is associated with less human papillomavirus vaccination in their daughters. Cervical cancer is the female cancer which, in France, has the highest proportion attributable to precariousness (21.1%), and for which there are strong territorial disparities in incidence. Several factors may explain the difficulties in obtaining satisfactory rates of screening, such as geographical remoteness, the disengagement of general practitioners, economic constraints, or the geographical origin of women. Several countries such as the Netherlands have started routinely screening for cervical cancer by testing for human papillomavirus. This approach appears to be as beneficial as a screening campaign based on the Pap smear. This approach has also just been validated by the French Health Authority which, in its public health recommendation dated 11 July 2019, states that "From the age of 30, the High Authority for Health recommends that the human papillomavirus test replace the cytological examination in primary screening for cervical cancer." In addition, this recommendation states that "Vaginal self-sampling is an alternative to cervical sampling by a health professional to detect the human papillomavirus test for undetected or under-detected women. This makes it easier to screen women who never get tested or who do not get tested as recommended." Moreover, the French Authority for Health specifies "In addition, complementary studies should be carried out to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the different modalities for making these vaginal self-samples available, depending on the specific populations concerned (French Guyana, Mayotte, women living on the street, in shantytowns, migrant women, with limited access to health services, etc.)". Two French trials show that when women ignored a letter sent to the home to invite them to receive a Pap smear, only 16 to 18% of women performed vaginal self-sampling when a kit was subsequently sent to their home. The delivery of a vaginal swab by a health professional does not increase adherence to screening compared to a reminder letter for a Pap smear (12% vs. 11.9%). Economic incentives may increase adherence to prevention policies, including those against human papillomavirus infections. They are often used to combat "present bias", i.e. the tendency to seek immediate, even limited, satisfaction rather than greater future satisfaction. A factorial design will be used to analyze the respective contribution of the delivery of the vaginal swab to a healthcare professional and an economic incentive of 20€. The hypothesis is that the the fact of returning the vaginal self-sampling to a health professional or an economic incentive will increase the participation of socially disadvantaged women in cervical cancer screening compared to simply returning it by mail without an incentive. It also postulate that health professionals will encourage women to perform a vaginal swab and adhere to the recommendations of the French Health Authority in case of a positive human papillomavirus test and that socially disadvantaged women will accept vaginal swabbing as a method of cervical cancer screening. Factors such as precariousness, life and migration paths, the socio-sanitary context, and the provision of primary care all play a role in prevention behaviors and may explain the heterogeneity of the observed effects.
Promoting Comprehensive Cervical Cancer Prevention and Better Women Health in Cameroon
Cervical CancerIn sub-Saharan Africa, cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women because of the difficulty in implementing screening programs. The main obstacles in these countries are poverty, lack of healthcare infrastructures and trained practitioners. With the availability of new technologies, researchers are looking for new strategies adapted to low- and middle-income countries to identify cervical precancerous lesions. Current evidence shows that Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) testing is more effective than cytology (Pap smear) for cervical cancer screening in resource-limited settings. Indeed, the GeneXpert® HPV test offers the opportunity to prevent cervical cancer (CC) in a single visit: rapid detection of high-risk HPV (HPV) infection followed by same day treatment of HPV-positive women during the same visit (screen-and-treat approach). However only a small proportion of HPV-positive women will develop cervical (pre)cancer, making it important to select those to treat. This triage can be achieved by colposcopy, cytology and visual inspection after application of acetic acid (VIA). Though VIA is the triage test recommended by WHO for resource-limited countries, it has not yet been widely assessed in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The main objective of the investigators is to assess the performance of HPV-test followed by Visual Inspection after application of Acetic acid and Lugol's iodine VIA/VILI to detect cervical precancerous lesions in a screen-and-treat strategy in Cameroon (sub-Saharan Africa) where there is no cervical cancer-screening program. The investigators organized a successful free screening campaign in Cameroon in 2015 that allowed to identify the expectations of women and their eagerness to benefit from prevention of gynecological cancers and sexually transmitted diseases.