Abstract
Objectives: To determine the effect of the HIV epidemic on invasive cervical cancer in Kenya. Methods: Of the 3902 women who were diagnosed with reproductive tract malignancies at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) from 1989 to 1998, 85% had invasive cervical cancer. Age at presentation and severity of cervical cancer were studied for a 9-year period when national HIV prevalence went from 5% to 5-10%, to 10-15%. Results: There was no significant change in either age at presentation or severity of cervical cancer. Of the 118 (5%) women who were tested for HIV, 36 (31%) were seropositive. These women were 5 years younger at presentation than HIV-negative women. Conclusions: A two- to three-fold increase in HIV prevalence in Kenya did not seem to have a proportional effect on the incidence of cervical cancer. Yet, HIV-positive women who presented with cervical cancer were significantly younger than HIV-negative women.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 55-63 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics |
Volume | 76 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2002 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Cervical cancer
- HIV
- Kenya