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HIV and cervical cancer in Kenya
P Gichangi1, H De Vuyst, B Estambale
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
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.