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Our objective was to assess the effectiveness of educational sessions that accompanied breast cancer screening events in three communities in western Kenya between October and November 2013. Five hundred and thirty-two women were recruited to complete a test of breast cancer-relevant knowledge and randomly allocated to "pre-test" or "post-test" groups that immediately preceded or followed participation in the educational sessions. The education was organized as a presentation by health professionals and focused mainly on causes of breast cancer, early and late cancer presentation signs, high-risk groups, screening methods to find early-stage breast cancer, self-breast exam procedures and treatment options for this disease. Participants were invited to ask questions and practice finding nodules in silicone breast models. The median age was 35 years (interquartile range: 28-45), and 86% had not undergone breast cancer screening previously. Many individual items in our test of knowledge showed statistically significant shifts to better-informed responses. When all items in the assessment questionnaire were scored as a "test", on average there was a 2.80 point (95% CI: 2.38, 3.22) significant improvement in knowledge about breast cancer after the educational session. Our study provides evidence for the effectiveness of an educational strategy carefully tailored for women in these communities in Kenya.

Introduction: To eliminate cervical cancer (CC), access to and quality of prevention and care services must be monitored, particularly for women living with HIV (WLHIV). We assessed implementation practices in HIV clinics across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to identify gaps in the care cascade and used aggregated patient data to populate cascades for WLHIV attending HIV clinics., Methods: Our facility-based survey was administered between November 2020 and July 2021 in 30 HIV clinics across SSA that participate in the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) consortium. We performed a qualitative site-level assessment of CC prevention and care services and analysed data from routine care of WLHIV in SSA., Results: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination was offered in 33% of sites. Referral for CC diagnosis (42%) and treatment (70%) was common, but not free at about 50% of sites. Most sites had electronic health information systems (90%), but data to inform indicators to monitor global targets for CC elimination in WLHIV were not routinely collected in these sites. Data were collected routinely in only 36% of sites that offered HPV vaccination, 33% of sites that offered cervical screening and 20% of sites that offered pre-cancer and CC treatment., Conclusions: Though CC prevention and care services have long been available in some HIV clinics across SSA, patient and programme monitoring need to be improved. Countries should consider leveraging their existing health information systems and use monitoring tools provided by the World Health Organization to improve CC prevention programmes and access, and to track their progress towards the goal of eliminating CC., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of the International AIDS Society published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International AIDS Society.)

Background: Although pain relief is a crucial component of modern obstetric care, it remains a poorly established service in sub-Saharan countries such as Kenya. Maternal health care providers have an extensive role to play in meeting the analgesic needs of women during childbirth. This study sought to examine the practice of labour pain relief among Kenyan maternal health care providers., Methods: This was an institution-based, cross-sectional, descriptive survey. The study included midwives, obstetricians, and anaesthesiologists (n = 120) working at the second-largest tertiary facility in Kenya. A structured, self-administered questionnaire was used. The labour pain relief practice, knowledge, attitude, and perceived barriers to labour pain management were described., Results: One hundred and seventeen respondents participated in the study representing a response rate of 97.5%. More than half of maternal health care providers routinely provided the service of labour pain relief (61.5%). Sixty-four (88.9%) respondents reported providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods, while 11.1% provided only pharmacological ones. The most common pharmacological method prescribed was non-opioids (12.8%). The most preferred non-pharmacological method of pain management was touch and massage (93.8%). Regional analgesia was provided by 3.4% of the respondents. More than half of the respondents (53%) had poor knowledge of labour pain relief methods. Almost all (94%) of the respondents had a positive attitude towards providing labour pain relief. Non-availability of drugs and equipment (58.1%), lack of clear protocols and guidelines (56.4%), and absence of adequate skilled personnel (55.6%) were reported as the health system factors that hinder the provision of labour analgesia., Conclusions: More than half of maternal health care providers routinely relieve labour pain. Epidural analgesia is still relatively underutilized. There is a need to develop institutional labour pain management protocols to meet the analgesic needs of women during childbirth., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Ouma et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Purpose: To achieve the WHO cervical cancer elimination targets, countries globally must achieve 70% cervical cancer screening (CCS) coverage. We evaluated CCS uptake and predictors of screening positive at two public HIV care programs in western Kenya., Methods: From October 2007 to February 2019, data from the Family AIDS Care and Education Services (FACES) and Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) programs in western Kenya were analyzed. The study population included women age 18-65 years enrolled in HIV care. Screening uptake was calculated annually and overall, determining the proportion of eligible women screened. Multivariate logistic regression assessed predictors of positive screening outcomes., Results: There were 57,298 women living with HIV (WLWHIV) eligible for CCS across both programs during the study period. The mean age was 31.4 years (IQR, 25.9-37.8), and 39% were on antiretroviral therapy (ART) at the first CCS-eligible visit. Of all eligible women, 29.4% (95% CI, 29.1 to 29.8) underwent CCS during the study period, 27.0% (95% CI, 26.5 to 27.4) in the AMPATH program, and 35.6% (95% CI, 34.9 to 36.4) in the FACES program. Annual screening uptake varied greatly in both programs, with coverage as low as 1% of eligible WLWHIV during specific years. Age at first screening, CD4 count within 90 days of screening, current use of ART, and program (AMPATH v FACES) were each statistically significant predictors of positive screening., Conclusion: CCS uptake at two large HIV care programs in Kenya fell short of the WHO's 70% screening target. Screening rates varied significantly on the basis of the availability of funding specific to CCS, reflecting the limitations of vertical funding programs.

Background: Cervical cancer is caused by oncogenic human papillomaviruses (HR-HPV) and is common among Kenyan women. Identification of factors that increase HR-HPV persistence is critically important. Kenyan women exposed to aflatoxin have an increased risk of HR-HPV detection in cervical specimens. This analysis was performed to examine associations between aflatoxin and HR-HPV persistence., Methods: Kenyan women were enrolled in a prospective study. The analytical cohort for this analysis included 67 HIV-uninfected women (mean age 34 years) who completed at least two of three annual study visits and had an available blood sample. Plasma aflatoxin was detected using ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC)-isotope dilution mass spectrometry. Annual cervical swabs were tested for HPV (Roche Linear Array). Ordinal logistic regression models were fitted to examine associations of aflatoxin and HPV persistence., Results: Aflatoxin was detected in 59.7% of women and was associated with higher risk of persistent detection of any HPV type (OR = 3.03, 95%CI = 1.08-8.55, P = 0.036), HR-HPV types (OR = 3.63, 95%CI = 1.30-10.13, P = 0.014), and HR-HPV types not included in the 9-valent HPV vaccine (OR = 4.46, 95%CI = 1.13-17.58, P = 0.032)., Conclusions: Aflatoxin detection was associated with increased risk of HR-HPV persistence in Kenyan women. Further studies, including mechanistic studies are needed to determine if aflatoxin synergistically interacts with HR-HPV to increase cervical cancer risk., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objectives: Centralized programs have been ineffective in reducing the burden of cervical cancer among Kenyan women. A community-based pilot study was initiated to screen Kenyan women for cervical cancer and to vaccinate their children against human papillomavirus (HPV)., Methods: Women were educated about cervical cancer prevention at community meetings. Women then provided self-collected vaginal swabs for oncogenic HPV testing using the Roche Cobas Assay. All women were then referred to the local clinic for Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA). Women were offered the quadrivalent HPV vaccine for their children if and when it became available for the study., Results: Women in western Kenya were invited to participate in community meetings. A total of 200 women were enrolled: 151 (75.5%) were HIV-uninfected and 49 (24.5%) were HIV-infected; the median age for all women was 42 years. High-risk (HR)-HPV types were detected in 49 of swabs from all 200 participants (24.5%) including 20.5% of HIV-uninfected women and 36.7% of HIV-infected women (P = .022). VIA was performed on 198 women: 192 had normal examinations and six had abnormal examinations. Five cervical biopsies revealed two cases of CIN 2 and one CIN 3. Although all mothers were willing to have their children (N = 432) vaccinated, the HPV vaccine could not be delivered to Kenya during the study period., Conclusions: Kenyan women were willing to attend community meetings to learn about prevention of cervical cancer, to provide self-collected vaginal swabs for HPV testing, to travel to the Webuye Clinic for VIA following the collection of swabs, and to have their children vaccinated against HPV. HR-HPV was prevalent, especially in HIV-infected women. As a result of this pilot study, this community-based strategy to prevent cervical cancer will be continued in western Kenya., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Dr Brown receives research funding from several sources including Merck and Co., Inc. Dr Brown serves as a consultant for PDS, Inc., (© The Author(s) 2022.)

Objective: A longitudinal study was conducted among women living with HIV in Kenya to determine if duration of anti-retroviral (ART) usage altered detection and persistence of oncogenic (high-risk) human papillomaviruses (HR-HPV)., Methods: Women living with HIV without cervical dysplasia were enrolled at a cervical cancer screening clinic. Three cervical swabs, HIV viral loads, and CD4 cell counts were obtained at enrollment and at two annual visits. HPV genotyping was performed on swabs (Roche Linear Array). Linear regression models assessed effects of ART duration on HR-HPV detection and persistence., Results: Seventy-seven women, median age 38 years, completed three study visits and were included in the analysis. The mean time from HIV diagnosis to enrollment was 9.6 years (SD 3.9 years). The mean ART duration was 6.2 years (SD 3.1 years). Most women had undetectable HIV viral loads and CD4 cell counts above 500 cells/L. Each additional year of ART use reduced the likelihood of detection of HR-HPV by 10-15% and persistent detection of A9 HR-HPV by 20%., Conclusion: Among Kenyan women living with HIV, longer duration of ART use was associated with significantly reduced risk of all detection and persistent detection of HR-HPV.

Objectives: Cervical cancer is caused by persistent infection with oncogenic, or "high-risk" types of human papillomaviruses, and is the most common malignancy in Kenyan women. A longitudinal study was initiated to investigate factors associated with persistent human papillomavirus detection among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected Kenyan women without evidence of cervical dysplasia., Methods: Demographic/behavioral data and cervical swabs were collected from HIV-uninfected women (n = 82) and HIV-infected women (n = 101) at enrollment and annually for 2 years. Human papillomavirus typing was performed on swabs (Roche Linear Array). Logistic regression models of human papillomavirus persistence were adjusted for demographic and behavioral characteristics., Results: HIV-infected women were older and less likely to be married and to own a home and had more lifetime sexual partners than HIV-uninfected women. All HIV-infected women were receiving anti-retroviral therapy at enrollment and had satisfactory CD4 cell counts and HIV viral loads. One- and two-year persistent human papillomavirus detection was significantly associated with HIV infection for any human papillomavirus, high-risk human papillomavirus, International Agency for the Research on Cancer-classified high-risk human papillomavirus, and non-oncogenic "low-risk" human papillomavirus., Conclusion: Persistent detection of oncogenic and non-oncogenic human papillomavirus was strongly associated with HIV infection in Kenyan women with re-constituted immune systems based on satisfactory CD4 cell counts. In addition to HIV infection, factors associated with an increased risk of human papillomavirus persistence included a higher number of lifetime sex partners. Factors associated with decreased risk of human papillomavirus persistence included older age and being married. Further studies are needed to identify the immunological defects in HIV-infected women that allow human papillomavirus persistence, even in women receiving effective anti-retroviral therapy. Further studies are also needed to determine the significance of low-risk human papillomavirus persistence in HIV-infected women., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Dr D.R.B. and Dr A.E.’s laboratory received a portion of its research funding from Merck, Inc., as an investigator-initiated studies program award. D.R.B. has received funding, royalties, and honoraria from Merck and Co., Inc., (© The Author(s) 2020.)

Objective: The aim of the study was to compare loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) as treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2/3 in HIV- versus HIV+ women., Materials and Methods: Seventy-five HIV- and 75 HIV+ women at 6 months or more after LEEP for CIN 2/3 were enrolled between September 2013 and November 2014 in this prospective cohort study at the cervical cancer screening clinic in Eldoret, Kenya. Visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), followed by cervical cytology with conventional cytology, was performed on all women. Women with positive VIA or abnormal cervical cytology underwent colposcopy/biopsy. Lesion progression, persistence, and regression were assessed to quantify the efficacy of LEEP., Results: Post-loop electrosurgical excision procedure screening test showed both a negative VIA and normal cervical cytology in 64 (85%) of HIV- and 57 (77%) HIV+ women (risk difference = 8.3%, CI = -4.2% to 21%, p = .20). Eleven (15%) HIV- and 17 (23%) HIV+ (p = .20) women had positive VIA, abnormal cervical cytology, or both and were referred for colposcopy/biopsy. Twenty-one (8 HIV-, 13 HIV+) women were biopsied. Of the 8 HIV- women, 4 (50%) had CIN lesions that regressed, 3 (38.0%) persisted, and 1 (12%) progressed to invasive cancer after LEEP. Of the 13 HIV+ women, 6 (46%) had CIN lesions that regressed, 7 (54%) had CIN lesions that persisted, and no HIV+ women had CIN lesions that progressed after LEEP. There was no difference in estimated efficacies of LEEP for HIV- and HIV+ women (92.7% versus 89.4%, risk difference = 3.3%, CI = -4.8% to 15.3%, p = .85)., Conclusions: Loop electrosurgical excision procedure for CIN 2/3 is effective treatment for HIV- and HIV+ women in low-resource settings. Future efforts should improve follow-up after treatment.

Background: Cervical cancer is common in Kenyan women. Cofactors in addition to infection with oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) are likely to be important in causing cervical cancer, as only a small percentage of HPV-infected women will develop this malignancy. Kenyan women are exposed to dietary aflatoxin, a potent carcinogen and immunosuppressive agent, which may be such a co-factor., Methods: Demographics, behavioral data, plasma, and cervical swabs were collected from 88 HIV-uninfected Kenyan women without cervical dysplasia. HPV detection was compared between women with or without plasma AFB1-lys and evaluated in relation to AFB1-lys concentration., Results: Valid HPV testing results were available for 86 women (mean age 34.0 years); 49 women (57.0%) had AFB1-lys detected and 37 (43.0%) had none. AFB1-lys detection was not associated with age, being married, having more than secondary school education, home ownership, living at a walking distance to health care ≥60 minutes, number of lifetime sex partners, or age of first sex. AFB1-lys detection and plasma concentrations were associated with detection of oncogenic HPV types., Conclusions: AFB1-lys-positivity and higher plasma AFB1-lys concentrations were associated with higher risk of oncogenic HPV detection in cervical samples from Kenya women. Further studies are needed to determine if aflatoxin interacts with HPV in a synergistic manner to increase the risk of cervical cancer., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.)

Introduction: ectopic pregnancy is one of the causes of maternal morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Levonorgestrel (LNG) only emergency contraceptive pill is a well-established emergency contraceptive pill that is administered within 72 hours after unprotected intercourse. This study aimed at determining whether or not there is a significant association between levonorgestrel emergency contraceptive use and the occurrence of ectopic pregnancy., Methods: case-control (1:3) study among 79 women with ectopic pregnancy (cases) matched against 237 women without (controls) at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya; Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected using a questionnaire. Association between ectopic pregnancy and LNG-EC was assessed using Pearson chi-square test. The relationship between outcome and exposure (while adjusting for confounders) was assessed using logistic regression model., Results: The mean age was 27.15 years. Both cases and controls were similar by age (p = 0.990), educational level (p = 0.850), marital status (p = 0.559), employment status (p = 0.186) and parity (p = 0.999). Seventy-eight (24.7%) participants had a history of miscarriage. A higher proportion of the cases had history of using LNG-EC compared to the controls (32.9% vs. 7.2%, p < 0.001). The use of LNG-EC portended more than nine times increased odds of ectopic pregnancy compared to other contraceptive methods {OR = 9.34 (95% CI: 3.9 - 16.0)}., Conclusion: levonorgestrel only emergency contraceptive use was associated with ectopic pregnancy. One of the limitations of this study is that we could not control for all confounders of ectopic pregnancy., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Background: All women are potentially at risk of developing cervical cancer at some point in their life, yet it is avoidable cause of death among women in Sub- Saharan Africa with a world incidence of 530,000 every year. It is the 4th commonest cancer affecting women worldwide with over 260,000 deaths reported in 2012. Low resource settings account for over 75% of the global cervical cancer burden. Uptake of HPV vaccination is limited in the developing world. WHO recommended that 2 doses of HPV vaccine could be given to young girls, based on studies in developed countries. However in Africa high rates of infections like malaria and worms can affect immune responses to vaccines, therefore three doses may still be necessary. The aim of this study was to identify barriers and facilitators associated with uptake of HPV vaccine., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at Eldoret, Kenya involving 3000 girls aged 9 to 14 years from 40 schools. Parents/guardians gave consent through a questionnaire., Results: Of all 3083 the school girls 93.8% had received childhood vaccines and 63.8% had a second HPV dose, and 39.1% had a third dose. Administration of second dose and HPV knowledge were both strong predictors of completion of the third dose. Distance to the hospital was a statistically significant risk factor for non-completion (P: 0.01)., Conclusions: Distance to vaccination centers requires a more innovative vaccine-delivery strategy and education of parents/guardians on cervical screening to increase attainment of the HPV vaccination.

Background: More deaths occur in African women from invasive cervical cancer (ICC) than from any other malignancy. ICC is caused by infection with oncogenic types of human papillomavirus (HPV). Co-infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) accelerates the natural history of ICC, and may influence the HPV type distribution. Because HPV vaccines are available, this malignancy is theoretically preventable, but the vaccines are largely type-specific in protection against infection. Data on specific HPV types causing ICC in African women is limited, and many studies utilized swab samples rather than actual cancer tissue. A previous study using archived, ICC tissue from women in Botswana identified an unusual HPV type distribution. A similar study was therefore performed in a second sub-Saharan country to provide additional information on the HPV type distribution in ICC., Methods: Archived, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded ICCs were acquired from women in the United States, Kenya, or Botswana. DNA was extracted and HPV genotyping performed by Roche Linear Array. HIV sequences were identified in ICCs by PCR., Results: HPV types 16 or 18 (HPV 16/18) were identified in 93.5 % of HPV-positive ICCs from the U.S., 93.8 % from Kenya, and 61.8 % from Botswana ( p  < 0.0001). Non-HPV 16/18 types were detected in 10.9 % of HPV-positive cancers from the U.S., 17.2 % from Kenya, and 47.8 % from Botswana ( p  < 0.0001). HIV was detected in 2.2, 31.5, and 32.4 % from ICCs from the U.S., Kenya, or Botswana, respectively ( p  = 0.0002). The distribution of HPV types was not significantly different between HIVinfected or HIV-uninfected women. The percentages of ICCs theoretically covered by the bivalent/quadrivalent HPV vaccines were 93.5, 93.9, and 61.8 % from the U.S., Kenya and Botswana, respectively, and increased to 100, 98, and 77.8 % for the nanovalent vaccine., Conclusions: HPV 16/18 caused most ICCs from the U.S. and western Kenya. Fewer ICCs contained HPV 16/18 in Botswana. HIV co-infection did not influence the HPV type distribution in ICCs from African women from the two countries. Available HPV vaccines should provide protection against most ICCs in the U.S. and Kenya. The recently developed nanovalent vaccine may be more suitable for countries where non-HPV 16/18 types are frequently detected in ICC.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the accuracy of visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) versus conventional Pap smear as a screening tool for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia/cancer among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected women., Materials and Methods: A total of 150 HIV-infected women attending the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital HIV clinic in Eldoret underwent conventional Pap smear, VIA, colposcopy, and biopsy. Both VIA and Pap smears were done by nurses, whereas colposcopy and biopsy were done by a physician. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was conducted to compare the accuracies between VIA and Pap smear in sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV)., Results: Among the study participants: VIA was abnormal in 55.3% (83/150, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 47.0%-63.5%); Pap smear showed atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance or worse in 43.7% (59/135, 95% CI = 35.2%-52.5%) and 10% (15/150) of the Pap smears were unsatisfactory. Of the abnormal Pap smears, 3% (2/59) had atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance, 7% (4/59) had high-grade atypical squamous cells, 60% (35/59) had low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, 29% (17/59) had high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, and 2% (1/59) was suspicious for cervical cancer. Using cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2 or higher disease on biopsy as an end point, VIA has a sensitivity of 69.6% (95% CI = 55.1%-81.0%), specificity of 51.0% (95% CI = 41.5%-60.4%), PPV of 38.6% (95% CI = 28.8%-49.3%), and NPV of 79.1% (95% CI = 67.8%-87.2%). For conventional Pap smear, sensitivity was 52.5% (95% CI = 42.1%-71.5%), specificity was 66.3% (95% CI = 52.0%-71.2%), PPV was 39.7% (95% CI = 27.6%-51.8%), and NPV was 76.8% (95% CI = 67.0%-85.6%)., Conclusions: Visual inspection with acetic acid is comparable to Pap smear and acceptable for screening HIV-infected women in resource-limited settings such as Western Kenya.

Background: With the widespread implementation of screening programs internationally, there will be an increase in early stage cervical cancer cases. In response to this, the Ministry of Health in each country will need to plan strategies to provide care such as radical surgery or radiation for this potentially curable group of women., Methods: The Gynaecologic Oncologists of Canada created a teaching module to intensively train a small number of locally identified gynecologists to perform radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy. The process was based on adult learning principles; it involved a Canadian gynecologic oncologist working in the low- or middle-resource country with the gynecologists and problem-solving local issues in health care delivery., Results: The teaching process included a pretest and a posttest on the basis of the objectives of the module. There were 7 modules including preoperative evaluation of the patient, cone biopsy, radical hysterectomy, pelvic lymphadenectomy, ureteric injury, vascular injury, and follow-up after surgery. Each module was divided into background information, techniques, and complications. There were video clips imbedded in the modules. After the educational modules had been reviewed, the learners were walked through the surgical procedures repeatedly including a detailed assessment of performance after each case. Participants had the opportunity to provide feedback on the training program. The module was reviewed in Mongolia and implemented in Kenya., Conclusions: In low- and middle-resource countries where there is an urgent need to provide a curative surgical option for the management of early cervical cancer, a focused high-intensity curriculum delivered by a trained surgeon can translate into immediate change in clinical and surgical practice.