KUMJ | VOL. 22 | NO. 4 | ISSUE 88 | OCTOBER. - DECEMBER. 2024

Community-based Screening of Cervical Cancer in an Urban Setting in Nepal: A Cross-sectional Study
Shrestha A, Poudel L, Khanal B, Poudel K, Shakya S, Timsina P, Shakya P, Shrestha S, Paneru B

Abstract:
Background In Nepal, cervical cancer is among the most prevalent cancers among females, yet only about 8% of women have undergone screening, highlighting significant barriers to access in low-resource settings. Objective To assess and report the outcomes of a community-based cervical cancer screening with visual inspection of acetic acid and an active follow-up program in Budhanilkantha municipality, Kathmandu Valley. Method We conducted a cross-sectional study in Budhanilkantha Municipality among 1360 women aged 30 to 60 who attended community-based cervical cancer screening camps. Trained research assistants collected socio-demographic and reproductive health data through interviews, abstracted medical records about Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid outcomes, and made follow-up calls to those who screened positive. We conducted descriptive analysis and logistic regression to assess associations between screen positivity and women’s characteristics. Result A total of 1,360 women visited the camp, with 98.3% undergoing visual inspection with acetic acid, and 7.25% screening positive. Among those referred, 78% followed up at the recommended hospital; diagnostic tests indicated that 12.3% had lowgrade lesions and 1.36% had high-grade pre-cancerous lesions. The adjusted model revealed no statistically significant associations between Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid positivity and variables such as age, ethnicity, education, and reproductive history. Conclusion This study demonstrates that the community-based Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) cervical cancer screening method was highly acceptance and had high treatment follow-up among women in urban Nepal.
Keyword : Cervical cancer, Screening, Visual inspection with acetic acid